Should the UK Police Service receive there Pay Rise?

Question

The police service have received an annual pay rise of 3% every September since 1979 in return for waving certain rights other large companies and other emergency services have such as unions and the right to strike. Is it fair that they were offered only 2.2% despite the agreement. And is it a true reflection on the rate of inflation.

http://www.polfed.org/ (link to the police Federation Site)

Thank you to those who have submitted answers, and apoligies to others on behalf of those other answers posted by members who obviously have had a ride in the back of a caged van a few times.

Check the Federation web site for further updates, and if you wish to place your support follow the links for fair pay.

http://www.polfed.org/default_00A8F189ABF24C689D18BCEFC357FC9B.asp

Answer 1

A few years back the met had a recruitment advert in my local rag, they had a half page. The other half was an advert for trainee managers at B & Q. Both required applicants to have similar qualifications and personality traits. Guess which was offering a higher basic salary?

It's a case of 'pay peanuts and get monkeys'. If the government want to go back to the heady days of the 70's, when the public had a perhaps genuine fear of police corruption, then all they need to do is keep the wages low and sure enough the calibre of officer will eventually be reduced to levels at which scruples go out of the window.

This was after all the reason for the Edmund-Davies Committee of Inquiry on the Police, which was instigated partly due to alleged complaints regarding police corruption, as well as the fact that there was a real threat of police striking over pay.

In 1978 the Edmund-Davies Committee of Inquiry on the Police, said in its Report on Negotiating Pay and Machinery: "In common with all those who submitted evidence for our consideration, this Committee is satisfied that the absence of the right to strike is a serious deprivation for any worker. It is essential that the police should not suffer in pay because they are deprived of the right to strike, and that it should be put beyond doubt that they are being paid fairly."

If the government balks on this agreement - Will the police be allowed to strike?

On average I used to work 30 hours overtime per month to keep my pay in line with peers working in the private sector. Sure policing is a vocation and sure I didn't expect to earn a kings ransom, but I did expect to be rewarded financially well enough to enable me to keep a roof over my head and support my young and growing family.

Police officers can't understand the government's reluctance to agree this pay rise. It is after all only 3%, many officers thought it should have been much higher.

The government's obviously got enough money, just look at the current PCSO recruitment campaign on the supposed police recruitment site Police Could You. The government are looking at recruiting an extra 10,000 PCSO's in short order time. Some would be forgiven for thinking that all the government are interested in is recruiting waste of money 'Blunkett's Bobbies'.

Perhaps the Police Could You site's name should be changed to PCSO Could You.....?!

There's a fear in policing circles that once again police officers are being seen as 'the enemy' by another labour government. The labour government must have a short memory, many believe the threat of a police strike in the 70's was a contributing factor to their crushing election defeat in 1979 to the tories.

According to a report on the Police Oracle forum thread 3%? We'll be lucky... The police federation are planning two regional meetings. One in Maidstone and one in Manchester. The main topic of discussion is surely going to be this very subject.

I went to the the last one at Wembley regarding the Sheehey report. But then again, most of his recommendations got brought in through the back door. So perhaps this time round a stronger stance will need to be taken. There's the usual comments banding around about the Fed being a Toothless Tiger - I think unfairly, we've been playing to the rules of the Edmund-Davis agreement. So perhaps if these rules have now been changed by the government, we should act accordingly.

What can we do? Well I suggest the very least is to visit the Police Federation website and go to their Fair Pay For Policing Page. Fill out the forms and lobby your MP.

All police officers need to be united on this subject. If they offer 2.2% I'd prefer the Fed refused it..... United we stand, divided we fall.

If needs be work to rule, most people are already aware that the foundations of policing in the UK are built on the good will of PC's, Sgt's and Insp's, who work the system to ensure the job gets done as effectively as possible with limited manpower and excessive government generated paperwork.

As mentioned in a previous answer, a few years ago the right to earn pay for the first half hour's overtime was taken away under Sheehey as being 'casual' overtime - You try telling that to your child when you're late home again and miss reading their bedtime story. It really makes staying on and finishing that last bit of paperwork worthwhile!

Remember the mantra of EPIC - Good evidence takes time etc.

I shall do my very best to ensure this Yahoo question gets as much 'police' publicity as possible.

Bring on the revolution!

Answer 2

LOL... When I started reading this thread I thought it would be full of the same old idiots who just wanted a pop at our police force (the reason being they have recently broke the law and been brought to task about it). I am glad to read the latter posts. Police Officers are the last line of defence between Peace and Anarchy, its as simple as that and they are desperately needed. They deserve a 10% pay rise every year to redress the 50% increase in violence they face every year. SUNFLARE you want to help the homeless and hungry??? - Do they want to help themselves, nobody wipes my **** for me. HELEN do you think its a cushy job??? I think you need to grow up, do you think working shifts being faced with violence, the jobs that the rest of society dont want to deal with and the impossible job of keeping the peace is CUSHY?? I dont and I am not a Police Officer. PUNKROCKD... You are a simpleton and obviously a Convict because you talk right out of your back side. Youve been put right about the car tax issue and havent replied so we will leave that but how dare you say we should give tax payers money to people on the dole??? You are clearly on the dole..... GET A JOB and start paying some tax so we can have more brave members of the police force. I dont give a damn whether you have received a speeding fine recently, this country needs a Police Force and they need to be motivated. Give them their PAYRISE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

is it a case of bad memory or selective the 1979 agreement was that pay rises would be in line with the national rate of pay rises therefore if the national average up to may 2006 was 2.2% then that should be the pay rise for Sept this year
remember that this is not an agreement but Law all police pay and conditions and written in statute
the current pay levels were set not for the reasons given but mainly due to the removal of a lot of allowances that the police service received at the time in order that they could comply with the police regulations

Answer 4

I have read with interest the 'comments' made on this thread and would highlight the following:

In my opinion we have the best and most effective police force in the world, second to none!
Those cretans, who constantly slag them off, have no idea what it is like elsewhere. Their lack of intellect and common sense is apparent for all to see!
You get what you pay for! Assistant store managers at Sainsbury's earn more than the policeman walking the streets, night and day, facing terrorists, thugs and any other social deviants they came across!
For those uneducated folk (some of which have already commented on this thread) the first person you turn to when in real trouble is the copper on the street. Make sure he is still in place, you may need him one day!

Give them the 3% and more - sack some politicians and bring the troops home from the Middle East!

Answer 5

In most other industries and proffessions, people are performance managed and pay is often used as a reward for high performance.

The police should be no different.

High Performers get above average rises and vice versa for poor performers. By managing this way you do not disillusion the goo dperformers who are carrying the poor performers and both get rewarded the same salary rise at the end of the year.

The current practice is regressive.

Answer 6

Yes I think they should!

They give half an hour extra time at least 3 times a week if required - ie DON'T get paid for it!!! So that is normally one and a half hours a week. 1.5 hours per week x 48 weeks per year (allowing for annual leave) = 72 hours per year!! Nearly TWO weeks of working for FREE. How many of you would do that?

We HAVE to do what we are told to do. That can mean working excessively long hours on occasions. Dealing with people no-one else wants to. Going into unknown situations which can be dangerous and/or life threatening. Being abused. Putting up with crap. Being trampled on by colleagues and superiors who are set on making a name for themselves, becoming political pawns. Repetitive work, being let down by the courts, RED TAPE in almost everything we do, NOT being able to speak freely ................. and on and on ................ OOOOPS, just fell off the soap box .......................

And, an agreement is an agreement is an agreement ..............

How many other people out there would do the job under those conditions? It is all very well to say "well if you don't like it, leave" ........... but it does have its good points too.

Quite honestly, I don't think the salary is very good at all. There is a hell of a lot of pressure put on police officers to perform and very little thanks.

The least they can expect is to maintain a reasonable standard of living.

And of course, soon there won't be so many police officers as they will be replaced with PCSO's - on the cheap - and being put in dangerous situations .......................

AND, punkrockdreadlocks - WHY should the police PREVENT people becoming crack addicts - soon you will be expecting us to carry toilet rolls to wipe your arses for you ............. people have to take SOME responsibility for their actions .......... AND, the police DO NOT deal with non-payment of car tax - the DVLA do - so it might be a good idea to KNOW what you are talking about.

Answer 7

More likely that more PCSO's will be recruited.
That seems to be in line with a european type of policing - to have local (i.e. PCSO) and national (i.e. ones that pick up the nastier stuff) police. Puts uniforms on the streets too. That's what most people want after all. Cheaper too.
Personally I'd like to get through to a cop on the phone and be truthfully be told when one will arrive when they're needed, rather than waiting for a call centre somewhere to answer then tell me they are very very busy..

Answer 8

I don't want a pay rise. I love strip searching unwashed crack wh0res and telling them to put their heals together and squat so I can catch their stash when it drops out of a stinky sticky crevice. I love my job, especially when a member of the public throws their McDonalds wrapper on the floor infront of me and I ask them to pick it up only to be spat at in the face by them. And please give me some more of those "know it all" White Van Men, who do illegal right turns and then, when confronted give me a mouthful of abuse and then just for a laugh, pop in the station and make a complaint about me.
Aaah, I'm truly blessed to have this job - pay rise?! Why on earth would I want a pay rise?!

Answer 9

I've heard that the starting pay for a fully qualified police officer is £25k.. and of course it rises with experience.

Answer 10

If they scrap the pay increase then they should let us all go on strike.
Let's see how far you all get when we tell you where to go when you see Johnny Scrote breaking into your car.

The 3% is a cost of living increase, the price of everything goes up year by year, so should wages. As for the job being cushy, I'd like to see some of you Keyboard Kommandos do better.