Hampshire police officers 'struggling to put food on table' despite pay rise

Chair of Hampshire Police Federation, Zoe Wakefield, has slammed the government for its latest pay offer saying it is not a rise. 

The Government recently announced a £1,900 pay rise from September 1 for all officers.

This equates to an 8.8 per cent rise for the lowest paid and five per cent overall. 

A starting salary of £23,556, for officers joining on the degree apprentice programme, has also been announced.

Zoe Wakefield.

But Ms Wakefield said: "On behalf of my members, I am extremely disappointed but not surprised by this pay award announcement.

“This is not a pay rise. Police officers have faced pay cuts every year for the last decade and this is just it happening again.

"Police officers are struggling to put food on the table and fuel in their cars.

"The Government do not care and does not recognise the sacrifices police officers make every day in order to keep the public safe."

The dog handlers’ allowance will also be increased by five per cent and Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “It is right that we recognise the extraordinary work of our officers who day in, day out, work tirelessly to keep our streets, communities and country safe.”

READ MORE: Hampshire Police Federation on MPs getting a pay rise

But the Police Federation boss added that "for many of our members this equates to a three to four per cent increase which will barely be noticed amongst the increases in the living costs."

“It is infuriating that once again London weighting has been increased but the South East allowance has been ignored.

"The cost of living in the South East means many of our younger in-service officers cannot afford to rent and have no chance of buying a property.”

Despite this though, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, Donna Jones has welcomed the move. 

Donna Jones.

She said the rise was overdue but added that it will benefit those on the lower ends of the police officer pay scale. 

“I am pleased the Government has accepted the pay recommendations in full, however, I would like to see more recognition of the work police officers do.

“Officers work tirelessly, often in very difficult circumstances, to keep communities safe, and this pay award is the least they deserve for the amazing job they do.

“Police officers, and police staff, have been working in a particularly tough environment the last few years. They have been on the frontline dealing with the pandemic and have gone above and beyond to police our country in exceptional circumstances.

“Rewarding officers on the lower end of the scale is a step in the right direction, and I hope the increase will go some way towards easing the pressures of the rise in the cost of living.

“However, I would also like to hear what plans the Government has to ensure police staff are also recognised for their equally important roles.”

The Home Office has said the Government will be part funding the pay rise and will be supporting forces with an additional £350 million over the next three years to help cover the associated costs of the pay award.

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