[UK] Police Federation calls for multi-year pay settlement

In the UK, the Police Federation has called for a multi-year pay settlement, stating that a single-year pay award will not repair the cumulative damage of years of real-terms pay cuts, West Midlands Police Federation reports.

John Partington - national secretary of the Police Federation - said the Federation is pressing for a multi-year settlement so that members and forces planning their budgets can have certainty.

According to the Federation, this year it has submitted its most comprehensive and evidence-led case yet to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). The case includes calling for a minimum seven per cent consolidated pay award for 2026/27, followed by seven per cent in each of the following two years. 

Mr Partington said, “This is not an arbitrary figure. It is based on the evidence police pay has suffered prolonged real-terms erosion since 2010. This decline is compounded by increased pension contributions, frozen tax thresholds driving fiscal drag and the rising cost of living.”

The submission to PRRB will make recommendations to the Government on this year’s award.

It is reportedly primarily built around the following five interconnected arguments: 

• The job has changed beyond recognition, but the pay framework has not

• Officers face a level of risk and trauma that no other profession is asked to absorb 

• Officers are operating under unprecedented scrutiny 

• The workforce is becoming less experienced

• Pay outside of policing.

In addition, the PRRB submission contained a set of specific recommendations, including shortening the constable pay scale points to allow early-career officers to be recognised sooner for the responsibilities they carry from day one and a detective allowance to address the persistent recruitment and retention crisis in investigative roles. 

The Home Office will announce this year’s police pay award in the coming weeks. It will come into effect on September 1.

Source: West Midlands Police Federation

In the UK, the Police Federation has called for a multi-year pay settlement, stating that a single-year pay award will not repair the cumulative damage of years of real-terms pay cuts, West Midlands Police Federation reports.

John Partington - national secretary of the Police Federation - said the Federation is pressing for a multi-year settlement so that members and forces planning their budgets can have certainty.

According to the Federation, this year it has submitted its most comprehensive and evidence-led case yet to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). The case includes calling for a minimum seven per cent consolidated pay award for 2026/27, followed by seven per cent in each of the following two years. 

Mr Partington said, “This is not an arbitrary figure. It is based on the evidence police pay has suffered prolonged real-terms erosion since 2010. This decline is compounded by increased pension contributions, frozen tax thresholds driving fiscal drag and the rising cost of living.”

The submission to PRRB will make recommendations to the Government on this year’s award.

It is reportedly primarily built around the following five interconnected arguments: 

• The job has changed beyond recognition, but the pay framework has not

• Officers face a level of risk and trauma that no other profession is asked to absorb 

• Officers are operating under unprecedented scrutiny 

• The workforce is becoming less experienced

• Pay outside of policing.

In addition, the PRRB submission contained a set of specific recommendations, including shortening the constable pay scale points to allow early-career officers to be recognised sooner for the responsibilities they carry from day one and a detective allowance to address the persistent recruitment and retention crisis in investigative roles. 

The Home Office will announce this year’s police pay award in the coming weeks. It will come into effect on September 1.

Source: West Midlands Police Federation