The Police Federation’s latest survey of how police officers view their pay and morale paints a “devastating” picture of Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
The 2021 survey results, released today, was completed by 792 (49 per cent) of Cambridgeshire officers – 77 per cent of them PCs. The national response rate was just 22 per cent.
It revealed that three quarters of Cambridgeshire respondents were unhappy with their pay and allowances, with 93 per cent not feeling they were fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job and 85 per cent not feeling fairly paid for the hazards of their role. A total of 66 per cent feel worse off financially than they were five years ago.
Just over half (53 per cent) of the Cambridgeshire officers said their personal morale is low (up 8 per cent since 2020) and 11 per cent are planning to quit policing in the next two years, citing low morale, how police officers are treated by the Government, and the impact of the job on their mental health.
Factors cited for low morale were how the Government treats the police (93 per cent), pay and the police are treated by the public (79 per cent), work-life balance (62 per cent), the pandemic (60 per cent) and pensions (58 per cent).
Chair of Cambridgeshire Police Federation Liz Groom said: “My colleagues are at breaking point, and it is simply unacceptable that so many police officers should be scrimping and saving so their families can make ends meet.
“It is striking that 90 per cent of Cambridgeshire officers feel totally undervalued by this Government and its wilfully negligent attitude towards pay and funding. This is having a devastating effect on morale and could impact on the service’s capability for decades to come which will be damaging for the communities we serve. These results must be a wake-up call for the Home Secretary and the Government and cannot be ignored.”
Key findings included:
- 75 per cent of Cambridgeshire respondents are dissatisfied with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances)
- 46 per cent reported worrying about their personal finances every day or almost every day
- 15 per cent reported never or almost never having enough money to cover their essentials
- 53 per cent said their morale is currently low and 81 per cent feel that morale within the Force is currently low
- 58 per cent would not recommend joining the police to others.
- 71 per cent said their workload has been too high or much too high in the last 12 months.