Branch chair Stu Taylor has renewed Cambridgeshire Police Federation’s call for its members to receive the South East Allowance.
It comes as results of latest Pay and Morale Survey highlight the financial pressures facing Cambridgeshire Police officers.
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) survey found that 32 per cent of respondents in Cambridgeshire struggle at times or frequently cannot meet their household’s financial needs. This is above the national average of 30 per cent.
Almost all (94 per cent) of responding officers in Cambridgeshire did not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job.
And just under three-quarters (73 per cent) were dissatisfied with their overall remuneration.
Stu said “These findings underline why we are continuing to call for Cambridgeshire Police officers to receive the south east allowance.
“Our officers work tirelessly to protect the public, often in incredibly challenging and stressful circumstances, yet 94 per cent do not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job and a shocking third struggle to meet their household’s financial needs.
“It’s a stark reminder that the financial pressures facing our officers are real and cannot be ignored.
“Cambridgeshire has a high cost of living and we’ve been fighting for our officers to get the South East Allowance for a number of years.
“It’s unfair we work in collaboration with Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and that they’re in receipt of the allowance and our members aren’t.
“Awarding them the South East Allowance would go some way to improving morale.”
The Pay and Morale Survey also highlights the wider impact of policing on officers.
Seven out of ten respondents said their workload was too high or much too high, above the national figure of 63 per cent.
Meanwhile, 44 per cent described their job as very or extremely stressful, in line with the national figure of 43 per cent.
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) reported experiencing stress, low mood or anxiety in the previous 12 months. The national figure is 78 per cent.
Almost a half of respondents in Cambridgeshire (47 per cent) have sought help for stress, low mood, anxiety or other mental health difficulties while 73 per cent rate the Force’s support for officers and their wellbeing as inadequate or requiring improvement.
The pressures extend beyond the workplace. More than three-quarters of respondents (76 per cent) said they had cancelled personal plans because of last-minute work requirements in the previous year, compared with 62 per cent across England and Wales.
Some 77 per cent of respondents said they have been so fatigued it had interfered with their family or social life in the last month, while 73 per cent of parents said fatigue had interfered with family life.
Stu said: “It is not surprising that PFEW declared policing a public health emergency during this week’s Conference.
“The officers the public relies on to run towards danger and to keep them safe are reporting fatigue and poor mental health.
“They’re underpaid and overworked, and that needs to change.”