Northamptonshire Police officers should be given pay rise of at least 17 per cent, federation chairman says

Northamptonshire Police officers should be given at least a 17 per cent pay rise to make up for decades of underpayment, according to the police federation.

Sam Dobbs, the chairman of the police federation in Northamptonshire, said it would help to start to reverse “unprecedented” sinking morale.

A study commissioned by the federation, which is the staff association for all officers across England and Wales, found police pay fell by 17 per cent in real terms between 2000 and 2022, while other emergency services’ pay increased by as much as 14 per cent. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) found if current trends continue, police would receive a four per cent real terms pay decline by 2027.

Sgt Dobbs said “doing nothing is not an option” as officers become increasingly unhappy. The Police Federation found 96 per cent of Northamptonshire officers who responded to a study last year did not feel respected by the government, 68 per cent would not recommend joining the police and 62 per cent did not feel valued by the public.

Police have been banned from going on strike since 1919 but legislation was updated in 1994. Prison officers are subject to similar restrictions and their pay has declined by 12 per cent in real terms since 1994, the SMF said.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) advises the government on pay and conditions for most police officers. The Police Federation withdrew from the body two years ago over worries about its independence.

Sgt Dobbs said all politicians must think seriously about the implications of the 17 per cent pay rise for all police officers across the country. He said they should reflect on it “not as a figure plucked out of the sky to create a headline” but something that had been analysed properly.

He said the national police funding formula “seems to disadvantage the Northamptonshire community” especially and reviewing it could result in a pay rise for the county’s police officers and reduce other budgetary pressures on the police force.

“Despite the recent horror stories besmirching the reputation of all officers, we rest on the shoulders of the giants and heroes who do amazing things every day with amazing values, and despite everything asked of them come back and do it all over again the next day,” Sgt Dobbs said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The role of the PRRB is to consider evidence and make recommendations to the government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances.

“We highly value the expert advice of the PRRB and we will continue to give very careful consideration to their recommendations.”