The Police Federation is calling for a 17 per cent pay rise for members after independent research highlighted the substantial decline in wages since 2000.
The calls have been backed by Staffordshire branch chair Lee Robinson who warned financial worries were having an impact on officer health and wellbeing.
He said: “Pay and conditions remains a major cause for concern for our members who have suffered unacceptable real-terms pay cuts over the years.
“Police officers work extremely hard and deserve to be fairly rewarded for the effort they put in and the sacrifices they and their families are expected to make.
“We are calling on the Home Secretary to show that she takes our concerns seriously by agreeing to a 17 per cent increase this year.
“It is not an unreasonable demand when you take into account inflation, the cost of living crisis, the real-terms pay cuts we have had to endure and the fact that our unique position in society means we are unable to press for our pay claims through industrial action.
“We have been calling for the balance to be restored for several years and the time has now come for that to happen.
“Police officers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and that begins with better pay.”
The Police Federation issued its 17 per cent pay claim after a study by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) found wages had lagged almost 20 per cent behind inflation since 2000.
In that same period, protective services workers saw an average real-terms rise of one per cent while other public sector workers received 14 per cent. MPs’ salaries went up by 4 per cent in real terms over the last 13 years.
The independent SMF report said the decline in pay was likely to be linked to the restrictions on police officers’ right to strike, which puts them at a distinct disadvantage to all other workers including other emergency service workers.
A key factor in discussions of police pay is the “P-factor” which SMF have suggested should be a figure offered in addition to their findings.
The report references the P-factor as an element of police pay that reflects the unique obligations and responsibilities police officers’ experience relative to other comparable roles.
This includes their unique risk of exposure to physical and psychological harm,alongside the restrictions that are placed upon their private lives.
The P-factor payment does not feature in the report highlighting that the actual figure of degradation of police pay is significantly higher.
Police Federation national chair Steve Hartshorn said the SMF research should act as a “wake-up call for policy-makers in the UK”.
He said: “Police officers put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their communities.
“That is why today our National Council has taken the decision to call for a minimum of 17 per cent increase in pay for our officers.
“The Government can no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs and must recognise the impact of this independent research.
“In the context of ongoing inflation, indications of a police retention crisis, and reports of officers being forced to turn to food banks, the issue of police pay must be addressed now after more than a decade of being ignored.”
