OFFICERS are deeply concerned about the impact of Tom Winsor\u2019s review of police pay and conditions – with more than half considering leaving the service, a survey has revealed.<\/p>\n
In a poll of 1,400 rank-and-file officers, 94 per cent said they were \u201cdissatisfied\u201d or \u201cstrongly dissatisfied\u201d with the Winsor review, which has led to a \u00a34,000-cut in officer starting salaries, the abolition of competence related threshold payments and the introduction of direct entry.<\/p>\n
Nearly half of all officers from Avon and Somerset Constabulary were polled by researchers from the University of the West of England (UWE) for the research.<\/p>\n
Now work is beginning on a national survey of the challenges faced by members of the 43 forces across England and Wales.<\/p>\n
The research, commissioned by the Constables Central Committee of the Police Federation of England and Wales, found that 95 per cent of survey respondents did not have confidence in long-term government plans for the police.<\/p>\n
Fewer than one in three officers thought that the sacrifices they make for their job \u2013 such as working unsocial hours and the negative impact on their family life \u2013 are still worth it.<\/p>\n
More than four in five said morale among colleagues was \u2018low\u2019, while 86 per cent said the proposed reductions to police starting salaries would not help to attract the right calibre of recruits to join the police.<\/p>\n
Dr James Hoggett, who led the research, said the survey suggests that proposed reforms are threatening the goodwill of police.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers suggest that this ‘goodwill’ forms the bedrock of policing in our society and is a vital part of the concept of policing by consent,\u201d he said. \u201cTherefore how any changes may affect this goodwill needs to be more thoroughly understood when designing proposals for change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recommendations from the report include better support for officers during change, and engaging rank-and-file officers more actively in developing new and effective ways of working.<\/p>\n
The National Federation has encouraged members across the country to complete the anonymous survey, which will be sent out on 1 March.<\/p>\n
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