A 5% PAY rise for all police officers will go some way to repairing the damage done to the police service over the past decade.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation is backing the submission by the Police Federation of England and Wales, in conjunction with the Police Superintendents\u2019 Association (PSA).<\/p>\n
The submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is for an increase of 5% and a minimum starting salary of \u00a324,177. Last year officers were awarded 2.5%.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent said: \u201c5% will be a good starting point. It will go some way to repairing the damage that\u2019s been done over the past 10 years, where our pay has been decimated. We need continued investment going forwards, and we need to return to an annual 3% pay rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of the starting salary, up in the north the job is still seen to be attractive because of the cost of living. But we want to employ the best people possible for policing, so let\u2019s start at \u00a324,000 so we can actually get people to join the job because they know it\u2019s financially viable for them to do so, rather than to wait for two or three years to get any kind of decent salary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said that considering the risks police officers take and their constant fear of litigation, they don\u2019t earn anywhere near enough.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019m involved in the recruitment process. We get a steady stream for South Yorkshire, but we\u2019ve still got to find officers who reach that standard. We\u2019re not necessarily getting a high number of suitable candidates through, and I know some forces are really struggling to get recruits through the door because the starting salary of \u00a319,000-\u00a320,000 is just not enough. It\u2019s farcical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve added that 5% didn\u2019t fill the gap of lost pay over the past decade, but said the Federation had to be realistic.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt sets a precedent for the following years. If we can get 5% and then we can return to the old days of an over-inflation pay rise, plus a percentage every year, then in five years\u2019 time a lot of that damage will be repaired and officers will at least be going up with the rising cost of living.\u201d<\/p>\n
PFEW Chair John Apter said: \u201cFor too many years police officers have been treated with contempt by Government, with their pay having effectively been cut by 18% in real terms over the past decade.<\/p>\n
“And while we\u2019re starting to see some positive moves from the new Government, ministers now need to show they are serious about their commitment to policing, by paying police officers fairly for the uniquely challenging job they do.\u201d<\/p>\n