Pay and Morale Survey 2023 – Headline Report February 2024

KEY POINTS

• Morale among the police force is poor and worsening, both for officers personally and the force as a whole. 58% of police officers said their morale was low, up 2 percentage points from 2022, while 91% felt the same was true of the Police Service more broadly.
• The drivers of this low morale are perceived lack of support from the government and the public, as well as inadequate pay. 95% said that how the police are treated by the government had a negative impact on their morale, while 86% said the same for the public and 81% for low pay and benefits.
• This low level of morale is having a real impact on staff retention and recruitment. 22% of respondents said they intended to resign from the force within two years or as soon as they could, while 73% said they would not recommend joining the force to others.
• Officers feel that their pay is inadequate, especially considering the unique risks of police work. 78% of respondents said that they were dissatisfied with their overall remuneration, and 92% felt that they were not fairly paid given the stresses and strains of their job.
  • 11% of officers reported having experienced unarmed physical attacks and 34% had experienced verbal insults at least once per week in the past 12 months.
• Workload is also a consideration. 33% reported having always or often felt pressured into working long hours over the previous 12 months, while 34% had been unable to take all the annual leave they were entitled to.
• The cost of living crisis is exacerbating concerns around pay, with many officers hit hard. 85% felt they were worse off financially than five years ago, while 18% reported that they never or almost never had enough money to cover their essentials.

This report is also hosted on the Police Federation of England and Wales website.