The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) must be allowed to keep its independence and operate without Government influence, according to Staffordshire Police Federation secretary Chris Rodger.
Chris said the PRRB should be free to reach its own recommendations through a fair pay mechanism which includes the P-factor payment exclusive to policing to ensure members are paid fairly for the risks they take.
The Federation says the recently-announced police award for 2022/23 will leave most officers once again out of pocket despite claims of an average five per cent uplift.
Chris said: “We gave a cautious welcome to what was presented as a decent-sounding five per cent pay settlement but unfortunately it hasn't stood up to scrutiny and will once again mean a real terms pay cut for many of our members.
“The whole police pay mechanism needs overhauling from top to bottom and I think that has to start by ensuring the PRRB is fully independent from Government influence.
“Police officers have suffered a real terms pay cut of around 2o per cent over the last decade and the only way to stop that downward spiral is a complete change in the way police pay is calculated.
“Our campaign for fair pay for police officers will not stop until the balance has been redressed and our members are properly rewarded for the sacrifices they make.”
The Home Office was quick to issue an upbeat statement on how the Government had recognised concerns around the rising cost of living pressures and was targeting wider support to those most in need when the Government unveiled its pay offer.
It claimed to have addressed the crisis by saying the pay award was equivalent to 5 per cent overall but the Police Federation said soaring rates of inflation meant in real terms, the offer amounts to a divisive pay cut across the ranks.
The Police Federation calculations point to a 30.3 per cent real terms pay cut for constables at the bottom pay point of the pay scale and an 18.5 per cent real terms pay cut for constables at the top pay point of the pay scale.
For sergeants at the top point of the pay scale, the estimated real terms pay drop will be 18.9 per cent. For inspectors at the top of the pay scale, the real terms pay drop will be 19.5 per cent, and for chief inspectors at the top point of the pay scale the real terms pay drop will be 19.7 per cent.
National chair Steve Hartshorn insisted members deserved proper recognition for the dangers they were exposed to and the increasing workload detectives manage to keep crime at bay.
He said: “Police officers do not look for praise from the Government, they want the Government to be sensitive about their contributions to their communities and sacrifices made in the line of duty to protect the public.
“We seek assurances from the Government that next year the PRRB will not be restrained by an unfair remit set by the Home Office, and that the unsustainable real-terms pay cut is addressed to ensure our members can afford to do the job they signed up for.”
