Policy paper

Home Office evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body, 2024 to 2025 (accessible)

Updated 5 March 2024

February 2024

I. Executive summary

1. The Government recognises the critical work carried out by police officers on a daily basis. We remain committed to supporting the police to fulfil their essential role in cutting crime and keeping people safe.

2. On 31 March 2023, the Government fulfilled its commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers. The first data on maintenance of officer numbers following completion of the Uplift was published on 24 January 2024. That shows that this commitment is being maintained, with over 3,000 more officers protecting communities than in 2010 – the previous peak before the unprecedented recruitment drive. This demonstrates that a career in policing remains an attractive choice.

3. The Government has published a total police funding settlement of up to £18.4 billion for 2024/25, an increase of up to £842.9 million when compared to 2023/24. This includes: Government grants to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs); flexibility for PCCs to raise additional money locally from council tax precept (which is a local decision); funding for national priorities, including major law enforcement technology programmes and crime programmes. Assuming full take up of precept flexibility, overall police funding available to PCCs will increase by up to £922.2 million next year. This increase in funding is specifically to support forces in meeting the costs of the 2023/24 pay award of 7%, assist forces with the costs arising as a result of changes to employer pension contributions from 31% to 35.3%, and to support forces in managing inflationary pressures in 2024/25. The funding announced at the 2024/25 police funding settlement does not account for cost pressures arising from future pay awards, including a 2024/25 pay award.

4. The Home Secretary’s remit letter refers the following matters to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) in the 2023/24 pay round:

• How to apply the pay award for 2024/25 for all police officers in ranks up to and including chief superintendent.

• To provide commentary on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) schedule for a review of allowances, including the proposed timescales and priority order, and taking into consideration views from policing stakeholders.

5. In 2023/24, the Pay Review Bodies recommended historically high pay awards for their respective workforces in light of the extraordinary macroeconomic context. Accepting these recommendations, whilst not increasing borrowing, required tough decisions. It is vital that the PRRB considers the historic nature of the 2023/24 pay award and the context of the Home Office’s wider affordability position when making its recommendations for 2024/25.

6. In the 2024/25 pay round, the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) will consider chief police officer remuneration. When making recommendations on the remuneration for officers in the federated and superintending ranks, we ask that the PRRB has regard to the views of the SSRB in respect of chief officers.

II. Pay proposals

Economic context

7. When considering police officer remuneration, the PRRB should have regard to HM Treasury’s economic evidence. This sets out that the economy fared better last year than many forecasts had predicted at the start of 2023 and revisions to gross domestic product (GDP) show that the economy also recovered more strongly from the pandemic than previously thought. However, in recent months, the economy has been more subdued with increases in interest rates, necessary to bring down inflation, having weighed on growth in advanced economies including the UK. The economy ended 2023 in a technical recession, having contracted over the final two quarters of the year.

8. Inflation has more than halved from its peak in late 2022 but remains above the 2% target. Returning inflation to the 2% target is critical for sustainable growth, though it will not fall in a straight line to get there with domestically driven pressures continuing to have an impact. The Bank of England forecast that inflation will return to the 2% target in the second quarter of 2024 before rising slightly again, towards the end of the forecast period. In its most recent November 2023 forecast, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation to continue to fall gradually and average 3% in 2024/25, before returning to the target rate of 2% by the first half of 2025.

9. To combat high inflation, the Bank of England has raised interest rates to 5.25%. This has resulted in additional borrowing costs for many mortgage-holders, businesses, and Government. The Government is committed to supporting the Monetary Policy Committee to bring inflation back to target by aligning fiscal with monetary policy. Further borrowing, above what is forecast, would add to inflationary pressure which would put upward pressure on interest rates potentially causing them to stay higher for longer.

10. HM Treasury’s evidence also provides an overview of the labour market context. Settlement data are the most comparable data to Pay Review Body decisions, as they are a direct measure of consolidated pay awards, and so are not affected by broader labour market factors such as changes to working hours. According to XpertHR, median settlements across the economy have been between 5% and 6% so far in 2023/24, making the award for police officers slightly ahead of the wider economy.

11. Wage growth has started to ease from the historically high levels, seen in the summer of 2023, and is forecast to moderate further as the labour market loosens. In their November 2023 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the OBR forecast that earnings growth will fall below 4% this year and to around 2% in 2025. This measure of average earnings growth has historically been higher than average pay settlements, as it is affected by compositional changes in the labour force and factors such as changes to working hours.

12. Indicators suggest that recruitment difficulties have continued to ease over the last year and the number of vacancies has declined for 19 consecutive months. There are challenges at present in interpreting recent labour market forecasts, with both the most recent Bank of England and OBR forecasts produced ahead of the re-introduction of the Labour Force Survey in February 2024, which had been suspended since October 2023. Nonetheless, recent forecasts anticipate that unemployment will rise over the coming year. The OBR forecasts that unemployment will rise to 4.6% in the middle of 2024, and remain at this rate until the end of 2025, before falling back to 4.1% at the end of the OBR’s five-year forecast horizon

13. The increase in unemployment is expected to ease the level of vacancies across the private and public sector, supporting recruitment and retention across Pay Review Body workforces. HM Treasury’s evidence suggests that public sector workforces will also benefit from higher job security over this period given redundancies have historically been concentrated in the private sector during periods of rising unemployment.

Basic pay

14. The Government has published the police funding settlement for 2024/25^{[footnote 1]}. Overall funding for the policing system will rise by up to £842.9 million when compared to the 2023/24, bringing the total settlement for 2024/25 up to £18.4 billion. For PCCs, this means an increase of up to £922.2 million when compared to 2023/24 (if PCCs were to choose to take up the full precept flexibility), taking total funding for PCCs up to £16.4 billion. This additional funding is composed of additional precept income, and Government grant funding. This increase in funding is specifically to support forces in meeting the costs of the 2023/24 pay award of 7%, assist forces with the costs arising as a result of changes to employer pension contributions from 31% to 35.3%, and to support forces in managing inflationary pressures in 2024/25. The funding announced at the 2024/25 police funding settlement does not account for cost pressures arising from future pay awards, including a 2024/25 pay award.

15. In determining the 2023/24 pay award, the Government gave very careful consideration to the PRRB’s report. The recommended award, at 7%, was historically high in light of the extraordinary macroeconomic context and was significantly above affordability for police forces. The Government is committed to maintaining the additional 20,000 police officers recruited under the Police Uplift Programme. Therefore, the Home Office carried out significant internal reprioritisation to provide additional funding to forces over this Spending Review period of £330 million in 2023/24, increasing up to £515 million in 2024/25 as well as associated payments to forces with respect to counter terrorism police officers and Protective Security Grant officer pay. This is in addition to £350 million provided to support the costs of the 2022/23 pay award.

16. This was only made possible because of the hard work and significant risk the Home Office has taken to consider options to reduce reliance on taxpayer funding in other vital areas of delivery. This includes measures to maximise Home Office income, including from visa and citizenship fees. This is not considered to be repeatable for the 2024/25 pay award for various reasons, including limitations on the potential for significant further income generation as well as existing financial pressures.

17. The Home Office has carried out challenging reprioritisation over the last two years in order to support forces with the costs of the 2022/23 pay award, and the 2023/24 award. In addition to the impacts felt on the borders system, it has also meant difficult choices have had to be made within the police funding settlement to meet these costs. This includes a reduction in funding for crime programmes such as Safer Streets and other policing priorities including Special Grant funding and funding for the NPCC Hub, which in turn has a direct impact on outcomes in these areas. There is no scope for further reprioritisation of Home Office budgets without significantly further impacting on the outcomes that we can deliver for the public, including within forces, crime reduction programmes, centrally funded police technology and capabilities programmes, and the wider work of the Home Office.

18. The Home Office continues to work with the NPCC and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) on assumptions on pay and other anticipated pressures for the forthcoming financial year.

19. The impact and affordability of a pay award will vary by force, depending on individual force level pressures and the flexibility they have to manage this within their budget. Individual PCCs are responsible for setting a balanced budget and taking decisions to reprioritise and seek efficiencies to achieve this. In some cases, this will require trade- offs, for example, reductions in staff and non-pay budgets in order to protect officer numbers. This assumes that all forces are maintaining officer numbers recruited as part of the Police Uplift Programme. An unfunded pay award is likely to significantly impact on forces’ ability to maintain officer and staff numbers, leading to increased reverse civilianisation as forces reduce the number of staff in specialist and back-office roles and replace them with officers, removing them from frontline roles. This reprioritisation will be necessary in order to meet both pay and non-pay pressures, consequently risking a reduction in the size of the workforce and, therefore, likely lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of policing by impacting frontline response and productivity.

20. Further affordability assessments will be undertaken when the PRRB submits its recommendations.

London Weighting

21. Historically, London Weighting has increased in line with annual pay increases. We ask the PRRB to consider the evidence put forward by policing partners on whether there is a case for increasing this in 2024/25. Any increase must be funded from within existing allocations and taking into account our affordability assessment set out above.

22. When reviewing London Weighting for officers in the federated and superintending ranks, we ask that the PRRB has regard to the views of the SSRB in respect of chief officers.

Allowances

23. The Home Secretary’s remit letter asks the PRRB to provide commentary on the NPCC’s schedule for a review of allowances, including the proposed timescales and priority order, and taking into consideration views from policing stakeholders. Any increases to allowances in 2024/25 will need to be funded from within existing allocations and will affect the overall affordability of a pay award.

24. When considering allowances that also apply to chief officers, we again ask that the PRRB has regard to the views of the SSRB.

III. Context

Policing environment

25. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)^{[footnote 2]} reports that for the year ending September 2023, there were estimated 8.5 million offences. This follows the long-term downward trend and more recent falls since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, with total crime 17% lower than the year ending March 2020. Compared with the previous year, the CSEW estimates for individual crime types showed that:

• Fraud decreased by 13% with notable reductions in advance fee fraud (33%) and other fraud (40%).

• Computer misuse increased by 30%, mainly because of a 36% rise in unauthorised access to personal information.

• Criminal damage increased by 21%, including a 30% fall in criminal damage to a vehicle.

26. The CSEW also reports that while police recorded crime does not tend to be a good indicator of general trends in crime, it can give more insight into lower-volume but higher-harm offences, including those that the survey does not cover or capture well. Data for the year ending September 2023 showed:

• The number of homicides decreased by 9% to 591 offences compared with the year ending September 2022.

• Police recorded robbery offences increased by 12% compared with the year ending September 2022. However, they remained 12% lower than the year ending March 2020.

• Offences involving knives or sharp instruments (excluding Greater Manchester Police and Devon and Cornwall Police) increased by 5% compared with the year ending September 2022, but remain 5% lower compared with the year ending March 2020.

• Offences involving firearms (excluding Devon and Cornwall Police) increased by 3% compared with the year ending September 2022. They are now at a similar level to the year ending March 2020.

• Theft offences increased by 9% compared with the previous year, largely a result of a 32% increase in shoplifting offences.

• There was a 2% increase in vehicle offences compared to the previous year, which included an 8% increase in theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle compared with the year ending September 2022, and a 17% increase compared with the pre-coronavirus pandemic year ending March 2020.

Police funding

27. The Government has published a police funding settlement^{[footnote 3]}: of up to £18.4 billion in 2024/25, an increase of up to £842.9 million when compared to 2023/24. This includes:

• Government grants to PCCs.

• Flexibility for PCCs to raise additional money locally from council tax precept.

• Funding for national priorities, including major law enforcement technology programmes and crime programmes.

28. Assuming full take up of precept flexibility, overall police funding available to PCCs will increase by up to £922.2 million (6% in cash terms). This breaks down as:

• An additional £624 million in Government grants, including funding that will maintain the 20,000 additional officers beyond March 2024.

• Up to an additional £298.2 million from the proposed council tax precept flexibility.

Efficiency and effectiveness

29. It is the responsibility of police forces, like all public services, to ensure that they make best use of the significant investments made by the Government. This includes reducing inefficiencies and maximising productivity, as well as making improvements in other areas such as commercial and procurement practices. By doing so policing will ensure that the money provided to the sector by the Government represents value for money.

30. As we announced at the 2021 Spending Review, we expected to see police forces deliver over £100 million of cashable efficiency savings from force budgets by 2024/25. In supporting this work BlueLight Commercial have estimated that over the last four years they have supported policing to deliver over £170 million worth of savings, including cashable savings of £117 million and non-cashable savings of £49 million. We are pleased to see the target exceeded and keen that this progress should continue.

31. We have now published the independent Policing Productivity Review’s report^{[footnote 4]}, which has identified many opportunities for making improvements and improving efficiency and productivity in policing.

32. We are currently engaging with policing to examine the recommendations made by the review and explore how they can be implemented to reduce the burden on officers and free up additional time and capacity for forces. We intend to respond to the report later this year.

Maintenance of officer numbers

33. On 31 March 2023, the Government fulfilled its commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers, with a total of 149,566 officers across England and Wales. The first data on maintenance of officer numbers was published on 24 January as part of the Home Office’s Police Workforce Statistics^{[footnote 5]}. This data shows that at 30 September 2023 there were a total of 149,164 officers across England and Wales, 402 fewer officers than the peak in March 2023. The Government’s commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers is being maintained, with over 3,000 more officers protecting communities than in 2010 – the previous peak before the unprecedented recruitment drive. It is normal for police officer numbers to vary for each force throughout the year due to fluctuations in their recruitment campaigns, and these figures are in line with expectations.

34. Following successful delivery of the Police Uplift Programme, the Government has continued to work with forces to support the commitment to maintain officer numbers at Uplift levels. It is important that each police force has an effective workforce plan in place to meet current and future needs. The Home Office continues to work closely with policing partners nationally as they seek to build on the success of the Uplift in developing longer term workforce plans.

35. To support maintenance of officer numbers we have created the Uplift Hub – a valuable online resource for forces that contains learning, insights and best practice from the Police Uplift Programme recruitment campaign. All forces should be using the Uplift Hub to support ongoing activity on recruitment and retention.

36. To incentivise maintenance, we ringfenced £275 million this financial year which was allocated to PCCs in line with funding formula shares. PCCs will be able to access this by demonstrating that they have maintained overall officer headcount at September 2023 and March 2024. This is comprised of their agreed Police Uplift baseline plus their allocation of the 20,000 additional officers.

37. Since 2019, the Government has invested over £2.7 billion additional funding into Government grants, to enable the recruitment of 20,000 additional officers. It is vital that forces continue to maintain officer numbers throughout 2024/25 so that communities can receive the benefits of this investment. The Government is therefore allocating £425 million to the maintenance of additional officers for 2024/25, to be distributed as follows:

• £67.2 million of the £425 million will be paid to the forces who volunteered to recruit additional officers agreed on 31 March 2023 as an ‘additional recruitment top up grant’ – providing financial certainty to those who chose to bolster officer numbers above targets.

• £357.8 million will be ringfenced funding, which will be allocated via funding formula shares. PCCs will be able to access this funding, as in previous years, by demonstrating that they have maintained their officer numbers.

Retention

38. The retention of police officers is a priority for the Home Office and the NPCC. Voluntary resignation rates, at around 3%, are low compared to other sectors and in line with modelling.

39. We worked hard to support forces during the unprecedented recruitment drive. This included designing and delivering a national advertising campaign designed to reach out to individuals who had not previously considered a career in policing (including groups that were underrepresented in the police officer workforce). This was based on research and insights developed during the programme. We also ensure new officers get the training and support they need to thrive. Our latest survey of new recruits (receiving a total of 3,556 responses) found that 85% of respondents were satisfied with their job, 72% intend to stay in their role until retirement age.

40. In the year ending 31 March 2023, 9,192 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers left the 43 territorial police forces (excluding transfers), an increase of 13.2% (up 1,075 FTE officers from 8,117 FTE) on the previous year, and the highest number of police officer leavers on record. These data cover all leavers, with more than two-fifths of these officers retiring (43%)^{[footnote 6]}.

41. The leaver rate, which calculates leavers as a proportion of those in post at the start of the year, was 6.6%, the highest leaver rate since comparable records began. This is partly driven by the ‘police uplift’ recruitment campaign reflecting a growing workforce as well as a younger-in-service profile. Excluding transfers, the leaver rate for police officer voluntary resignations in the year ending March 2023 (at 3.3%) is the highest rate since comparable records began (in the year ending March 2003).

42. It is common across many sectors and professions that leaver rates are higher within an individual’s first year. NPCC management information shows that for new police officers, leaver rates remain consistent at 10% and are in line with modelling. The successful delivery of 20,000 additional officers means that overall the police officer workforce has a larger proportion of new recruits with less than 2 years’ service.

Therefore, a larger proportion of officers are at the stage where leaver rates are higher.

43. Insights and learning created during the Uplift have been shared with forces who should be using strong evidence-led retention strategies to support officers in their careers. There are extensive sections within the Uplift Hub on onboarding and retention, including the National Leavers Framework (NLF) that has been designed to support forces in managing retention. The NLF promotes the use of standard data collection and consistent processes across forces, including stay interviews and exit interviews, to help forces better understand reasons for leaving and support retention strategies.

Diversity

44. Police forces that reflect the communities they serve are crucial to tackling crime and maintaining public trust and confidence in a modern diverse society. We recognised that the 20,000 officer uplift provided a once in a generation opportunity to support forces to become more representative of the communities they serve, and to create a foundation from which forces can continue to make further improvements in future.

45. The police officer workforce is now more representative than it has ever been. There are 53,080 women and 12,086 officers from ethnic minorities serving as police officers, both of which represent the highest numbers on record. Forces are more diverse than ever before but we are clear than more can be done to attract and recruit officers from black communities.

46. There were several components to Police Uplift Programme’s approach to working with forces, including: our communication and attraction strategy; engagement with staff associations; research to develop and establish a stronger evidence base; and importantly, data improvements; which have given forces new insights into local recruitment, and which will form part of recruitment activity going forward.

47. Training is also an effective means of ensuring understanding of local communities. At a national level the recently launched Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) includes a training curriculum that emphasises the importance of understanding communities. Modules in the training, which will be delivered to every new recruit coming through this route, include community policing, effective communications, historical community context, relationships with specific communities and community values and policing.

48. During the Uplift Programme, the Online Assessment Process was created by the College of Policing. There is now three years of data which highlights that the introduction of the Online Assessment Process generated higher pass rates for minority ethnic candidates (64.9%) in comparison to Police SEARCH (55%).

49. Insights into the barriers for certain groups joining the police have been shared with forces. We have worked with recruitment teams in forces to share best practice in attraction and outreach activity, supporting forces to develop their own strategies and connect with local communities.

50. Now that the Police Uplift Programme has concluded, data improvements, lessons learned and insights supporting effective activity to recruit a locally representative workforce with an understanding of local areas and people, has been embedded in ongoing business as usual products and processes.

51. Key among these products is the Police Uplift Hub – this is a valuable online resource for all forces that contains learning, insights and best practice from the Police Uplift Programme recruitment campaign. All forces are using the Uplift Hub to support ongoing activity on recruitment and retention.

Dismissals review

52. In January 2023, amid high-profile cases of police wrongdoing and concerning reviews and inspections, we launched an internal review into the process of police officer dismissals. This review was designed to ensure that the system is fair and effective at removing those officers that are not suitable to serve their communities.

53. The review heard written evidence from a wide range of interested stakeholders. To inform its evidence base, the review also conducted a substantial data collection and analysis exercise and utilised the results of a literature review.

54. As part of the review, evidence of disproportionality was considered in some aspects of the dismissals process in relation to race, age and sex. Though we welcome the work the policing sector is already undertaking to put in place measures to tackle disproportionality, our analysis showed limitations on the data available across all protected characteristics. The review therefore made recommendations to support forces in data collection and where needed, support forces to tackle disparities.

55. The review also considered issues related to women’s confidence in policing, such as consistency of decision-making in cases of sexual misconduct and wider violence against women and girls (VAWG). It is worth noting that Part 2 of the Angiolini Inquiry (which commenced last year) is also considering policing’s handling of internal misogynistic and predatory behaviour. Part 2 is broadly considering issues such as police recruitment, vetting and culture, as well as the safety of women in public spaces.

56. In August, following the conclusion of that review, the Government announced a series of reforms to strengthen police standards and improve public confidence – including providing greater responsibilities to chief constables, to enable them to manage standards and culture more effectively within their forces. These changes were set out more substantively in September 2023, as part of the review’s published report^{[footnote 7]}:.

57. Under changes to regulations, expected to be implemented in 2024, reforms will include:

• Responsibility for chairing misconduct hearings to be returned to chief constables.

• Allowing chief constables to delegate the chairing of misconduct hearings to other senior officers or police staff equivalents.

• A presumption of dismissal for proven gross misconduct, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

• Specified offence types, conviction of which will automatically amount to gross misconduct.

• A statutory requirement to hold and maintain vetting and a clarified route to remove officers who fail to do so.

• Streamlining the performance system, and

• A presumption for fast-track hearings for officers or special constables who have resigned or retired.

58. These reforms have been the subject of further stakeholder engagement, with a series of workshops held throughout October and November 2023.

Accountability review

59. On 24 September 2023, the then Home Secretary announced a review of investigatory arrangements which follow the police use of force and police driving related incidents. It is vital the public and officers have clarity and confidence in the accountability system relating to police use of force and police driving, including the efficacy of investigations.

60. The Home Office-led review is assessing:

• The existing legal frameworks and guidance on practice that underpin police use of force and police driving.

• The subsequent framework for investigation of any incidents that may occur, including timeframes for conclusion.

• How post-incident learnings and communications can improve both officers and the public’s confidence in these frameworks.

61. The review is being coordinated by the Home Office, reporting to the Home Secretary, working with the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office. Further detail about the purpose, scope and reporting arrangements is set out in the terms of reference^{[footnote 8]}.

IV. Police workforce reform

Pay reform

Targeted variable pay

62. Targeted variable payments (TVPs) were introduced for a temporary period of two years and were due to cease on 30 June 2023. The Home Office set out its expectation that during the two-year period:

• The NPCC would regularly collect data from each force on how these payments are being used. The data will be used to enable completion of a robust equality impact assessment, to inform Ministers’ decisions on whether to implement the payments as a permanent discretionary pay lever at the end of the initial two-year period.

• Further detail should be shared on initiatives to improve recruitment and retention into hard to fill roles, recognising that pay is unlikely to be the primary factor.

• During the initial two-year period a method for defining and assessing which roles are deemed to be hard to fill and demanding, using a form of job or role evaluation should be developed, to ensure consistency in approach both within and across forces. Under the current arrangements, roles are not assessed or evaluated to determine what the appropriate levels of pay ought to be, based on the skills, qualifications and levels of expertise required.

63. In April 2023, it was agreed that an extension to the current legislation to 30 June 2024 would provide the NPCC with the ability to improve data collection and the evidence base for TVPs. The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire also requested a business case evidencing the effect of TVPs on recruitment and retention into service critical roles, and recognising demanding roles, within the forces that have used them. The Minister also asked that details of how roles will be deemed to be hard to fill and demanding and the steps being taken to ensure the payments are being used consistently within and across forces was included in the business case.

64. The NPCC’s Workforce Data Team has made significant improvements to the data collected on TVPs. It has worked closely with forces ensuring the data is now much more robust. Quarterly data is collected on the officers receiving TVPs, their roles, protected characteristics and value of the payments they have received.

65. The data does not yet cover a full financial year, meaning it is difficult to reach firm conclusions on the equality impact of TVPs. However, payment values vary widely across roles. It is important that when considering the impact of TVPs, forces consider the value of payments assigned to specific roles, alongside the representation of those with protected characteristics within those roles.

Carer’s Leave

66. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 provides that employees will be entitled to at least a week’s unpaid leave during any period of 12 months in order to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The provisions are expected to come into force in April 2024 once Regulations are laid. Annex T made under Regulation 33 of the Police Regulations 2003 provides that police officers are entitled to take a reasonable amount of time off to care for a dependant. We are working with the Police Consultative Forum (PCF) to understand whether amendments are required to the Regulations and determinations to ensure police officers are able to receive the same entitlement as employees.

Neonatal Care

67. The Neonatal (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 provides parents with a right to up 12 weeks’ paid leave when their baby requires neonatal care, in addition to existing parental leave entitlements. This is expected to come into force in 2025. We are working with the PCF to understand how this should be applied to police officers.

Entry routes

68. There are four initial entry routes into policing for new recruits. These include the Police constable degree apprenticeship (PCDA), the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP), the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), and the Professional Policing Degree (PPD).

69. The initial police learning and development programme (IPLDP) which has been in place since 2006 was assessed by the College of Policing to be no longer fit for purpose. IPLDP pre-dates current crime trends such as greater reporting of child sexual exploitation and the growth of cyber-enabled crime. As such, it no longer equips officers for the challenges they will face. That is why the College have developed a new non-degree entry route into policing to deliver officers of the highest calibre and to complement existing degree entry routes. IPLDP will cease to be available on 31 March 2024.

70. Police constable degree apprenticeship (PCDA): This route into policing enables recruits to learn on the job while they study. It normally takes three years, and candidates require a level 3 qualification to join (two A-levels or the equivalent). They will be awarded a degree in professional policing practice on successful completion of the apprenticeship.

71. Police constable entry programme (PCEP): The PCEP is a new entry programme that does not require you to study for a qualification during probation. This route normally takes two years, after which, if recruits successfully complete probation, they become a PC. Candidates require a level 3 qualification to join (two A-levels or the equivalent). This entry route is expected to become available from April 2024.

72. Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP): Candidates with an undergraduate degree can follow a work-based programme supported by off-the-job learning. This route normally takes two years and is recognised by a graduate diploma in professional policing on completion of probation.

73. Professional Policing Degree (PPD): The degree in professional policing is an academic route. Candidates should apply to join the police within five years of graduation. Some universities are working with local forces to offer complementary special constable opportunities.

74. As part of its important work to develop the National Centre for Police Leadership, the College of Policing remains committed to exploring options for a viable and sustainable delivery model for Direct Entry pathways in the future, if there is clear demand from forces. Following further consultation with the sector last year, it was clear that demand was not sufficient to run a recalibrated programme at either inspector or superintendent rank at the present time. The College will re-engage with forces on the future delivery of national Direct Entry programmes when other ongoing leadership development, promotion and progression initiatives have been embedded in policing.

Talent management

75. To ensure a strong pipeline of leaders at all levels, the College launched new national leadership standards for every level in policing in June 2023. It is now rolling out a new national talent management strategy for policing, including a new two-year development programme to enable the most talented serving police inspectors to advance more quickly to superintendent rank. In addition, Police Now run a successful frontline leadership programme for existing officers, to help them reach sergeant and inspector level. The programme is funded by the Home Office, and there is a particular focus on driving ethical and effective frontline leadership at the most impactful ranks, and leaders for the future.

Morale and wellbeing

76. The publication of the first Annual Report^{[footnote 9]} on 22 May 2023 outlined the progress made on the priorities for the Police Covenant, signing off three as complete and laying out the work to be done over the coming year. Since then, the work of Police Covenant has continued to drive improvements in physical and mental health and wellbeing for police officers, staff, leavers and their families, and aiding retention. These include appointing a permanent Chief Medical Officer, training for General Practitioners and ensuring officer and staff roadside safety.

77. The Home Office continues to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service, with a further £3m of funding provided for 2023/24.

V. Overall remuneration package

Basic pay

78. The Government accepted the PRRB’s recommendation in its last report to remove pay point 0 on the constables’ pay scale. With effect from 1 September 2023, starting salaries are £28,551.

79. In addition to annual pay awards, the federated and superintending ranks, assistant chief constables, and commanders in the Metropolitan Police Service receive pay progression. Those who have not reached the top of their pay scale receive annual incremental pay worth at least 2% of salary, and often 4-6%. With effect from 1 April 2023, this is dependent on an officer meeting the requirements of the pay progression standard (PPS) in the previous 12 months.

80. Dependent on meeting the PPS, a constable will typically reach the top of their pay scale in six years; other ranks in three to four years. Most police officers enter as police constables. A typical constable will receive a salary of £46,044 within six years of joining.

Allowances

81. In addition to basic pay, officers may receive a range of allowances. Our last evidence submission provided an overview of allowances, eligibility criteria and their values. With the exception of dog handlers’ allowance which increased to £2,697 with effect from 1 September 2023, the values remain unchanged.

82. In previous reports the PRRB suggested that allowances should be subject to a rolling programme of review. The NPCC has developed a schedule for a review of allowances, that includes timescales and a priority order. It proposes reviewing all allowances over a three-year period from financial year 2024/25 and that each one will then be reviewed on a cyclical basis and at least every five years.

83. The Home Secretary’s remit letter asks the PRRB to provide commentary on the schedule, including the proposed timescales and priority order, and taking into consideration views from policing stakeholders. Any increases to allowances in 2024/25 will need to be funded from within existing allocations and will affect the overall affordability of a pay award.

84. Median total earnings for police officers remain competitive when compared to: the private sector; professional occupations; and managers, directors and senior officials, as demonstrated in the charts below.

Chart 1: Median total earnings for police officers compared to median total earnings in the private sector, 2023

	Total earnings (London)	Total earnings (England and Wales excl. London)
Median private sector (UK)	£44,370	£34,963
Constable	£50,196	£42,240
Sergeant	£59,391	£52,174
Inspector	£66,586	£58,481
Chief Inspector	£70,604	£62,324
Superintendent	£82,639	£79,635
Chief Superintendent	£97,509	£93,348

Note: Median private sector pay is for UK rather than England and Wales excluding London

Chart 2: Change in median total earnings for inspecting and superintending ranks (in London), comparable occupational groups and the private sector, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
All private sector professions (London)	£40,944	£39,716	£41,987	£44,370
Managers, directors and senior officials (UK)	£45,364	£43,692	£45,914	£48,850
Inspector	£64,151	£65,518	£65,623	£66,586
Chief Inspector	£67,122	£69,287	£69,213	£70,604
Superintendent	£80,521	£82,874	£84,598	£82,639
Chief Superintendent	£95,419	£98,506	£98,803	£97,509

Chart 3: Change in median total earnings for constables and sergeants (in London), comparable occupational groups and the private sector, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations (UK)	£33,362	£32,926	£33,346	£34,544
All private sector professions (London)	£40,944	£39,716	£41,987	£44,370
Constable	£47,986	£48,514	£49,105	£50,196
Sergeant	£55,603	£56,440	£57,922	£59,391

Chart 4: Change in median total earnings for inspecting and superintending ranks (outside London), comparable occupational groups and the private sector, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
All private sector professions (UK)	£31,487	£31,285	£33,061	£34,963
Managers, directors and senior officials (UK)	£45,364	£43,692	£45,914	£48,850
Inspector	£55,300	£57,104	£57,455	£58,481
Chief Inspector	£59,210	£61,092	£61,372	£62,324
Superintendent	£73,798	£79,301	£79,004	£79,635
Chief Superintendent	£88,336	£92,817	£92,585	£93,348

Chart 5: Change in median total earnings for constables and sergeants (outside London), comparable occupational groups and the private sector, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations (UK)	£33,362	£32,926	£33,346	£34,544
All private sector professions (UK incl. London)	£31,487	£31,285	£33,061	£34,963
Constable	£41,143	£41,395	£41,298	£42,240
Sergeant	£47,760	£49,264	£50,447	£52,174

• Source (Charts 1 - 5): Home Office analysis of the Police Workforce Census, 31 March 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) time series of selected estimates (Office for National Statistics).

• Notes: Year-on-year comparisons in police officer earnings should be treated with caution due to changes in the composition of the workforce over time.

• All private sector professions and managers, directors and senior officials’, and associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations median total earnings are for the UK, rather than regionally split.

• Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations include constables and sergeants. Managers, directors and senior officials includes senior officers^{[footnote 10]}.

Pensions

85. As referenced in previous submissions, a key benefit of working in the public sector is access to the appropriate pension schemes. Public sector pensions are often substantially more generous in comparison to those in the private sector, with most public sector employees able to access defined benefit schemes where employer contributions are significantly higher than under the defined contribution pension schemes which most private sector employees are able to access. The Government encourages all employees to join occupational pension schemes. The police pension scheme forms an important part of the overall remuneration package.

86. Police officers are entitled to membership of a valuable defined benefit pension scheme, a guaranteed inflation-linked pension for life, based on salary and years worked. Defined benefit pension schemes are increasingly rare in the private sector. Instead, there are defined contribution schemes which are often less valuable with no guarantees and leaving all the investment and longevity risk with employees. In the Police Pension Scheme members benefit from significant employer contributions, of 31%^{[footnote 11]} of basic pay, on top of their own contribution. With effect from 1 April 2024, this will increase to 35.3%. The pension also comes with ancillary benefits, for example, spouse/partner pensions, child pensions and a death in service lump sum.

87. In the Spring 2023 Budget, reforms to pensions tax thresholds were announced. These included increasing the Annual Allowance threshold and removing the Lifetime Allowance. These changes have made the relative weighting of public service remuneration towards pensions more attractive for the highest earners and those with the longest service, and were designed to ensure highly skilled individuals have stronger incentives to remain in the workforce.

88. The charts below compare police officer median total earnings with employer pension contributions added, to those in the private sector and comparable occupations:

Chart 6: Change in median total earnings for inspecting and superintending ranks (in London) with 31% employer pensions contributions added and median total earnings in comparable occupational groups and the private sector with 6% employer contributions added, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
All private sector professions (UK)	£43,401	£42,099	£44,506	£47,032
Managers, directors and senior officials (UK)	£48,086	£46,314	£48,669	£51,781
Inspector	£81,400	£83,428	£83,406	£84,680
Chief Inspector	£85,427	£88,317	£88,242	£90,040
Superintendent	£103,102	£106,083	£107,974	£106,093
Chief Superintendent	£122,798	£126,659	£127,099	£125,284

Chart 7: Change in median total earnings for constables and sergeants (in London) with 31% employer pensions contributions added and median total earnings in comparable occupational groups and the private sector with 6% employer contributions added, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations (UK)	£35,364	£34,902	£35,347	£36,617
All private sector professions (London)	£43,401	£42,099	£44,506	£47,032
Constable	£60,299	£61,134	£61,855	£63,290
Sergeant	£69,442	£70,625	£72,252	£73,694

Chart 8: Change in median total earnings for inspecting and superintending ranks (outside London) with 31% employer pensions contributions added and median total earnings in comparable occupational groups and the private sector with 6% employer contributions added, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
All private sector professions (UK incl. London)	£33,376	£33,162	£35,045	£37,061
Managers, directors and senior officials (UK)	£48,086	£46,314	£48,669	£51,781
Inspector	£72,016	£74,589	£74,970	£76,263
Chief Inspector	£77,084	£79,601	£80,053	£81,300
Superintendent	£96,181	£102,845	£102,789	£103,564
Chief Superintendent	£115,220	£120,787	£120,624	£121,877

Chart 9: Change in median total earnings for constables and sergeants (outside London) with 31% employer pensions contributions added and median total earnings in comparable occupational groups and the private sector with 6% employer contributions added, 2020 to 2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations (UK)	£35,364	£34,902	£35,345	£36,917
All private sector professions (London)	£33,376	£33,162	£35,047	£37,061
Constable	£53,457	£54,015	£53,808	£53,887
Sergeant	£61,598	£63,449	£64,777	£66,848

• Source (Charts 6 – 9): Home Office analysis of the Police Workforce Census, 31 March 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings time series of selected estimates (Office for National Statistics).

• Notes: Year-on-year comparisons in police officer earnings should be treated with caution due to changes in the composition of the workforce over time.

• Associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations include constables and sergeants. Managers, directors and senior officials includes senior officers^{[footnote 12]}.

• Employer contributions for police officers are 31% of basic pay. For the private sector, employer pension contributions are calculated at an average of 6% and have been added to median total earnings.

• All private sector professions and managers, directors and senior officials’, and associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupations median total earnings are for the UK, rather than regionally split.

• Managers, directors and senior officials, and associate professional (and technical to 2021) occupational groups include both public and private sector employees. However, the private sector employer pension contribution average of 6% has been added for comparative purposes. Public sector employer contributions are around 20% or more.

McCloud/Sargeant

89. The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act (PSPJOA) 2022 achieved Royal Assent on 10 March 2022. The Act sets the framework for the retrospective remedy, including the deadline for all eligible members to be treated as having accrued service in the relevant legacy schemes for the remedy period (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022) by 1 October 2023, and contain enabling powers where needed.

90. From 1 April 2022, all police officers who continued in service were moved to the reformed schemes, regardless of age. Legacy schemes (the Police Pension Scheme 1987 and Police Pension Scheme 2006) closed in relation to service after 31 March 2022. This marked the completion of the first, prospective phase of the remedy.

91. The secondary legislation was consulted on between 28 February to 23 May 2023. The regulations were laid on 19 July 2023 (the consultation report was published on the same date) and came into force on 1 October 2023. The changes allow the provision for the retrospective remedy to be made. Eligible members will be able to choose to receive legacy pension scheme benefits or benefits equivalent to those available under the 2015 pension scheme for service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 (known as the remedy period).

92. The provisions in the Police Pensions (Remediable Service) Regulations 2023 now enable the police pension scheme to:

• Correct any overpayment or underpayment of pension benefits or member contributions already paid in relation to a member because of their choice.

• Facilitate the payment of appropriate compensation to address financial loss arising from the discrimination or operation of the remedy, for example, overpaid tax.

• Implement the retrospective remedy, for example, details of the “deferred choice underpin” mechanism.

Other

93. Officers receive a minimum of 22 days of annual leave, rising with service to 30 days, plus bank holidays as well as access to flexible working schedules and career breaks.

94. Further benefits include enhanced maternity pay and leave and parental support pay (up to two weeks), paid allowances to compensate for disruption to family life and the demands of the role, and sick leave on full pay for up to six months, or more at the discretion of the chief constable.

Annex A: Home Secretary’s remit letter

Accessible version available at PRRB remit letter from the Home Secretary: 2024 to 2025 (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Annex B: Police officer numbers and salaries by rank

Federated ranks

Rank	Full-time equivalent	Salary (minimum)	Salary (maximum)
Constables	115,920	£28,551	£46,044
Sergeants	21,216	£49,077	£51,498
Inspectors	6,611	£58,422	£63,198
Chief Inspectors	2,033	£64,449	£67,017

^{[footnote 13]}

Superintending ranks

Rank	Full-time equivalent	Salary (minimum)	Salary (maximum)
Superintendents	1,053	£77,121	£90,717
Chief Superintendents	360	£95,094	£103,242*

*This will increase to £106,079 with effect from 1 September 2024.

Rank	Remuneration package – minimum basic salary with 35.3%[footnote 14] employer pension contributions included	Remuneration package – maximum basic salary with 35.3% employer pension contributions included
Constables	£38,630	£62,298
Sergeants	£66,401	£69,677
Inspectors	£79,045	£85,507
Chief Inspectors	£87,199	£90,674
Superintendents	£104,345	£122,740
Chief Superintendents	£128,662	£139,686

1. Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament ↩

2. Crime in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) ↩

3. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-12-14/hcws132 ↩

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policing-productivity-review ↩

5. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2023 ↩

6. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2023 ↩

7. Police officer dismissals: Home Office review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ↩

8. Terms of reference for the review of investigatory arrangements which follow police use of force and police driving related incidents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ↩

9. Police Covenant annual report 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ↩

10. Employee earnings in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) (Figure 10). ↩

11. Including 23.4% in respect of future service ↩

12. Employee earnings in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) (Figure 10). ↩

13. Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ↩

14. Rate with effect from 1 April 2024. ↩