The Federation’s latest Pay and Morale survey gathered responses from more than 36,000 officers, representing a response rate of around 26% of the police workforce.
More than eight in 10 said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall salary and allowances, and almost all (98%) said their cost of living had increased in the last month. Almost a fifth said they rarely or never have enough money to cover all of their essentials, and a number have opted out of the pension scheme because the contributions are unaffordable.
A core factor in low morale was “how the police are treated by the government”. Ninety-five percent said this had a negative impact on their morale and 94% said they did not feel respected by the government.
