The Police Superintendents’ Association and the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) have asked for a pay rise of 3.4% for 2018 in their joint submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).
The submission puts forward a body of evidence for the uplift, citing the economic impact of wage freezes and the recent pay cap on officers; information on officers’ views on pay, morale and their reporting of their workload; and data regarding the recruitment and retention of officers.
It also highlights that the staff associations are “deeply concerned” at the NPCC’s progress on pay reform and the impact of this on pay uplift, putting both the PRRB and the staff associations in “an invidious position”.
The submission criticises the lack of transparency in the remit letter process, and the confusion it has created.
Further concerns are raised about the lack of engagement by the NPCC in the remuneration process, and about the starting salary for apprentice officers.
As well as the joint report, the Association has also put forward a joint submission with the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland to the PRRB evidencing issues that specifically concern the Superintending ranks.
It makes 11 recommendations for action by the PRRB which include:
- the NPCC, in conjunction with the APCC and PSA, complete an in-depth, independent benchmarking study to understand the scope, complexity and demand within Superintending roles;
- the NPCC establishes accurate data collection processes in relation to requirements under the Working Time Regulations and put in place a sustainable strategy that remedies any breaches.
- bonus payments from the previous year’s pay process are backdated to September 2017
- a change in Regulations to allow payment for periods of on-call of 24 hours or longer
The Association has also asked for the PRRB to publish a policy, with the Home Office, describing the process for deciding what is and is not included in the remit letter, and also to give its views on:
- defining in Regulations a 40-hour working week for Superintendents.
- the impact of the annual allowance/lifetime allowance taxation regime
- how and where the total remuneration package for police officers should be monitored and reviewed
- the current mechanisms to manage industrial relations to ensure there is the correct balance of power between employer and employee
National Secretary Dan Murphy said:
“Our primary concern is a healthy workforce. Policing’s biggest asset is its people; without them there is no service.
“There is a wealth of evidence that shows the Superintending ranks are working longer and harder in more complex and demanding roles than ever before.
“We believe the employer should recognise this and that it should be reflected in officers’ terms and conditions and how they are rewarded, which is the basis for our recommendations to the PRRB.
“We also have concerns about how police reform is being managed and implemented. The police service has fewer employment rights than other professions which means that the mechanisms for consulting and engaging with its people must work effectively.
“This is critical. It is not just about pay and not just about those officers who are serving now: it is essential to ensure the service attracts the right people into it for the future, so that it can continue to protect and serve the public to the excellent standard they expect.
“It is important that the service can have confidence in the pay review process and in the organisations and individuals involved in it. We want to see outcomes that are fair, affordable and practical, and will work with all partners to try and achieve this.”