Rank-and-file police officers across Greater Manchester have backed calls for a 17 per cent pay rise this year.
It comes after the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) demanded the 17 per cent pay increase for officers, suggesting salaries are negatively affected by restrictions on their right to strike. It warned the Government could 'no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs' and said police pay had lagged 17 per cent behind inflation since 2000.
Today the new chairman of the Greater Manchester branch of the federation, which represents almost 6,000 rank-and-file officer, supported the demand, pointing to bigger pay rises handed to other public services which do have the right to strike. He said cops were 'feeling the pinch'.
Mike Peake said: "This is the right call. Some may think that this is an unrealistic ask, but all you need to do is look at the figures. Police pay fell by 17 per cent in real terms between 2000 and 2022, yet other public sector workers who have the right to strike are and have seen much bigger pay increases.
“You just need to look at the very recent pay offer for the fire service, which equates to 12 per cent when backdated to July last year.
"Officers in GMP are no different to other members of the public, in that they are feeling the pinch of rising fuel costs, weekly shopping bills, and rises in interest rates. Many officers are having to make tough decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to survive each month.
"Local MPs and Government need to wake up and acknowledge that police officers deserve fair pay, and this can only be achieved by putting police pay back on track in line with inflation and other public sector pay rises. Every day officers in GMP put their lives on the line to protect the communities within Greater Manchester, they deserve recognition for this, recognition that is reflected in their pay packet.
"If police pay isn’t addressed properly then sadly we will continue to see good officers leaving the police service for better paid jobs elsewhere. If this continues to happen then Government are letting the general public down, as there will be a constant merry go round of applying sticking plasters over police officer numbers.”
The chairman of the national Police Federation Steve Hartshorn said: "The Government can no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs and must recognise the impact of this independent research. In the context of ongoing inflation, indications of a police retention crisis, and reports of officers being forced to turn to food banks, the issue of police pay must be addressed now after more than a decade of being ignored."
Last week Sgt Peake succeeded Lee Broadbent as the new chair of the Greater Manchester branch of the Police Federation.
Some 14 months into the job, Constable Broadbent announced his resignation from the role amid disagreement with other Police Federation leaders about the challenge he led on the police pensions, which he believed discriminated against female officers.
Sgt Peake was installed without the need for an election as he was unopposed. He has already supported calls for police to be given new powers to charge some suspects.
The Government says police officer pay remains competitive, with the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) reporting in 2022 that median full-time gross annual earnings for police officers (constables and sergeants) are 33 per cent higher than in the whole economy and one per cent higher than professional occupations.
Last July, the Government accepted in full the PRRB’s recommendation to award a consolidated increase of £1,900 to all ranks and pay ranges with effect from 1 September 2022, equivalent to five per cent overall. This award was effectively targeted at those on the lowest pay ranges to provide an uplift of up to 8.8 per cent, and between 0.6 and 1.8 per cent for those on the highest pay bands.
With effect from 1 September 2022, the basic starting salary for officers is between £23,556 and £26,682 depending on qualifications and experience.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The role of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is to consider evidence and make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances. We highly value the expert advice of the PRRB and we will continue to give very careful consideration to their recommendations."
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