Pay rise for Police Announced

From 1 September, police officers of all ranks in England and Wales will receive a consolidated award of £1,900, the Home Office has announced today (19 July 2022).

The pay award is equivalent to 5% overall, and will be targeted at those on the lowest pay points to provide them with an uplift of up to 8.8%, and between 0.6% and 1.8% for those on the highest pay points. The Police Constable Degree Apprentice minimum starting salary will also be raised to £23,556 from 1 September.

Today’s public sector pay rises reflect the vital contributions public sector workers make to our country and the cost of living pressures facing households.

The Home Office has accepted the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) in full, reflecting the vital role police officers have on the frontline making our streets safer.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“I am pleased to be able to accept the pay review body recommendations in full so that all police officers see a £1,900 salary uplift.

“It is right that we recognise the extraordinary work of our officers who day in, day out, work tirelessly to keep our streets, communities and country safe.”

London Weighting and the Dog Handlers’ Allowance will also see an increase of 5%.

The PRRB noted concerns around the impact on junior ranks of the cost of living pressures, which the Government has also recognised.

The Home Office will also be supporting forces with an additional £350 million over the next three years, from within its existing budget, to help cover the associated costs of the pay award. 

Earlier this year, the Government announced funding of up to £16.9 billion in 2022/23 for the police, including to support the recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023. Weremain on track to meet that target, with over 13,500 additionalofficersalready recruited from Police Uplift programme funding.

The Government has targeted wider support for the cost of living to those most in need and pay awards should be viewed in parallel with the £37bn package of support we have provided.

Pay awards this year strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer, not increasing the country’s debt further, and being careful not to drive even higher prices in the future.

Most overall pay awards in the public sector are similar to those in the private sector. The median private sector pay settlement, which is the metric most comparable to these Pay Review Body decisions, was 4% in the 3 months to May. Median full-time salaries are higher in the public sector, and public sector workers benefit from some of the most generous pensions available.