The police exodus threatens Sir Keir Starmer’s manifesto, which promised to increase the number of officers

Ms Lynch cited two cases from last week in which “extraordinary” and “courageous” police work carried out every day helped convict a doctor who killed his mother’s partner by injecting him with a toxin, and a police officer who saved an unconscious driver from a smoking cigarette. the vehicle burst into flames minutes after it was recovered.

The federation, which represents grassroots officers up to the rank of chief inspector, is demanding a return to collective pay bargaining, where it could negotiate directly with employers on pay, rather than relying on the current Police Pay Review Committee set up in 2014.

He is boycotting the watchdog from 2021 because he says the Home Office can set the parameters for any recommendations, there is no scope for negotiation or arbitration, and there is no requirement for the government to accept its proposals.

The federation has warned that if the government rejects its call for collective bargaining, there will be a vote among its 150,000 members on whether they want to seek the right to take industrial action.

Home Office data shows that by March 2024, the total number of police officers leaving the service was 9,080, representing 6.2% of the workforce – the second highest figure on record. More officers joined than left, meaning there were a total of 147,746 officers, an increase of 0.2% compared to March 2023.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This Government will work with police to address challenges and ensure officers receive the appropriate support, resources and recognition, and improve standards.

“As part of our mission to deliver safer streets, we will restore neighborhood policing and support forces to rebuild relationships with local communities.

“This includes the recruitment of thousands of additional neighborhood policing officers, community support officers and special constables who play a key role in building confidence in our communities.”

Officers are leaving in droves – the government’s target for more police numbers is unsustainable

It was earlier this week when I was first asked the question, “So what are your thoughts on Labour’s first 100 days?” writes Tiff Lynch.

Setting aside my personal views and putting at the heart of my reflections the over 145,000 police officers I represent, based on our recent meetings with Ministers, I would say that they appear to be listening to the concerns expressed about the continuing problems in policing, which we appreciate. However, as the 100 days pass, we need to see how the warm words translate into action.

The police, as an essential public sector service, are being devalued. As we have seen, millions of public sector workers have been rewarded with 5-6% pay rises for the current financial year – with the exception of the police. Police chiefs recommended 6%, increasing the pay gap between police officers and other public sector workers, but this was ignored and instead our hard-working police officers received 4.75%, further widening the gap and deepening the divide between them and the people, with with which they cooperate to help society.

Since 2010, their real wages have decreased by almost 20%. How can this be fair? What impression does this make on young men and women considering becoming career police officers? What impact does this have on serving police officers and their families? What message is sent to citizens?

Morale is at an all-time low

Last week, a Sunderland doctor was convicted of trying to kill his mother’s partner after injecting him with a toxin that caused flesh-eating disease during a fake Covid vaccine appointment. The police work in the case was praised by the Crown Prosecution Service, which described it as “an outstanding investigation into one of the most complex criminal conspiracies in recent memory”.

We also heard about amazing policeman Mark Jones from Cheshire Police, who received a commendation after pulling an unconscious driver from a smoking vehicle that burst into flames shortly after the rescue. These are just two examples from a week, but this extraordinary work and courage happens every day, 365 days a year, across the length and breadth of our country.

It is vital that police are adequately financially rewarded for their efforts to protect and serve the public in all situations. Currently, morale among rank-and-file employees is very low, and thousands of police officers in our annual pay and morale survey say they plan to leave the service as soon as possible or within the next two years, including: pay.

Current consumption rates are alarming

We cannot emphasize enough; it’s not just a conversation. According to official data, the voluntary redundancy rate for police officers in the year ending March 31, 2024 was 3.4%. is the highest ever. Home Office statistics reflect what police officers tell us year after year and the Government can no longer ignore it.

The basic problem is the broken and inadequate remuneration mechanism, which does not allow for negotiations and binding arbitration, but only for imposing a fixed remuneration.

In our latest poll, 98 percent of officers supported the Federation’s call for a return to collective bargaining that includes binding arbitration for all parties, including the government.

The Government has made it very clear that its current priority for policing is to reclaim our streets by investing in additional neighborhood policing officers to reduce the crimes plaguing our local communities, including anti-social behavior and the shocking rate of shoplifting. As he says, “the victims are disappointed.”

The only way to achieve this is through an ongoing recruitment and retention program. However, I am concerned about the current achievements in terms of population loss rates, they seem unattainable.

We offered the government to work together to reverse this damage, stop further record crime statistics and the mass departures of police officers, committing to restore a remuneration mechanism free from flaws and injustice.

Tiff Lynch is the acting chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales