Today I confronted the Government on the issue of police pay.
After a widely criticised pay offer to officers this week -; an offer the Police Federation described as ‘a joke’ -; the Government has also not addressed pay inequality between forces.
Working as a Police Community Support Officer is a well known route to becoming a Police Officer. Police Pay is now so low that community support officers have to take a pay cut to do so. In Barnsley East for example a PCSO would face a pay cut of over £1000 to start work as a PC just down the road in West Yorkshire.
This issue along with continued pay caps nationally has had a damaging impact on police recruitment, and the Government has yet to provide any answers.