Concern officers will quit ‘in their droves’

Stark picture from police pay and morale survey

One fifth of Thames Valley Police officers are looking to leave the force, a survey has suggested.

The latest pay and morale survey, commissioned by the Police Federation of England and Wales, found 20 per cent of respondents were looking to leave within two years or ‘as soon as they can’.

In the report, officers highlighted issues with morale, lack of support in the workplace and cost-of-living pressures.

Acting Thames Valley Police Federation chair Aileen O’Connor said: “Unless the current government – or indeed any future government – truly see the value the role officers do up and down the country and more importantly in Thames Valley, we will continue to see a rise in workloads, low morale, officers struggling to make ends meet every month and officers leaving Thames Valley in their droves.

“It is also worth noting that demand from the public for our policing services is still rising and while we are working hard together to overcome the pressures felt by our officers, this is a wider societal issue.”

More than half of the 917 surveyed officers said they were experiencing low morale and a further 81 per cent said they felt force-wide morale was low.

Almost three quarters of respondents said they were unhappy with pay with 83 per cent adding they felt worse off than five years ago.

Nineteen per cent said their pay did not leave them with enough to cover essentials.

“I’m increasingly concerned about the continuing cost of living crisis my members face due to working for a force situated in the heart of the southeast of the country and living within this area too,” Ms O’Connor said.

“My members are extraordinary people who do an extraordinary job day every single day. They deserve – and they should be – properly remunerated for the work they do and the dangerous situations the face every minute of every day.”

More than 90 per cent of respondents said they did not feel valued by government.

A further 60 per cent said they did not feel valued in Thames Valley Police and would not recommend becoming an officer to others.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said: “The results of the recently published Police

Federation officer pay and morale survey highlight a number of challenges for policing both nationally and locally.

“We are committed to addressing the concerns which impact on Thames Valley police officers.

Mr Snuggs said Thames Valley Police was working to address frontline officers’ workloads by recruiting more officers and the creation of a new assessment team to help prioritise police resources.

He added: “I greatly appreciate the dedication, professionalism and courage of our whole workforce and we remain focused on making continual improvements through the strong relationships we have with our local Police Federation.”

The survey accounted for an estimated 18 per cent of Thames Valley Police officers.

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