[Closed] Police Pay

That's not much more than I earned when I graduated from Uni 16 years ago. Do they want recruits?

I started on £14k in 1992, which was quite good back then, although BA was starting graduates on £20k, which was top whack at the time.

As much as I find the police union(s) constant complaining annoying this really irks me. Yet again the newer, younger recruits get hit with the cuts and will have to pay for everyone else's nice big public sector pensions while getting paid much less in real terms and having to contribute much more for their own pensions.

Graduate starting salaries seem to have dropped in real terms a bit over the last couple of years (excluding Oil and financial services). When I was looking £16,500 - £22,000 was the norm.

Thats still about £8000 more than my wife earns for a full time job in the public sector. A job that she's been doing 10 years, required 3 years college and puts her in the line of danger every day (without the uniform to protect her).

V good for a A-level education standard though.

Will they still get final salary pensions after 30 years (IIRC) in the force though? If so, that’s got to be a big consideration.

Well the MP's payrise has to come from somewhere!

it would be more sensible to obtain a clear and full definition of the benefits package and compare at that level:

- housing allowance ?
- free travel ?
- pension ?
- overtime rates
- hours
etc etc salary is only part of the deal

Will they still get final salary pensions after 30 years (IIRC) in the force though? If so, that’s got to be a big consideration.

No.
This ended with the last round of changes in 2007.

Do they want recruits?

Apparently not... There's been no recruitment for a long time it seems. 😐

It would also be more sensible to quote the full article including comments why the (full!) proposals may well be popular - unless the reason was purely to troll?

Police officers don't get housing allowance and haven't for years. They don't get free travel unless arranged locally but in my force we only get free travel if on duty in uniform.
Pension has significantly changed have to pay 13.1% in and work for 35 years to get an average final.
hours are insane ..... don't even get me started on that one!
yes there is over time, but hey what's that got to do with it? often have to work it when you don't want to.

So put simply IMO it's disgraceful the salary drop.

No.
This ended with the last round of changes in 2007.

The violins are out.

This is how capitalism works. There are more than 2.5 million unemployed out there. And the economy is completely ****ed!!! When you're living on £71 a week, then a 19k starting salary looks pretty damn good!! Actually, as a starting salary it is quite good! Better than most! They'll have no problem recruiting at all.

And they'll need all those extra coppers in the summer, when we're officially into a triple dip recession and the cuts really begin to bite. All while Dave and Chums are figuring out more ways to give their rich friends more tax breaks. No bread and circuses as a distraction this year remember.

[img] [/img]

No housing allowance.
Free travel is something offered by local travel companies. In some areas there is some, in other areas none.
Pension - too complicated for a single post but nowhere near as good as the urban myths.
Overtime at time and a third after the first 30 mins which is unpaid.
Hours 40 hours a week on a 24 hour pattern.

In the long run its still a great career to have

yeah but the salary goes up every year, not every job gets that. Even if the pension isn't as good as it was I understand from my brother in law, who's a DC, that it still spanks any private and most other public sector pensions.
Also, coppers get free rail travel on any service apart from virgin (have you seen the price of train tickets) imagine free travel from lands end to john o groats. They also get lots of perks like free meals at local cafes, the use of day glo vests and the right to grow an awful moustache. 🙂

"Acpo was concerned about the starting salaries range proposed and the outcome of these negotiations means that chief constables will now have the flexibility to pay a starting salary of up to £22,000 depending on skills and qualifications. Officers can also reach the top rate of pay three years earlier than under the current arrangements."

It used to be a fantastic career to have
It is now a terrible career to have, I retire in 234 days 6 hours 10 minutes

It would also be more sensible to quote the full article including comments why the (full!) proposals may well be popular - unless the reason was purely to troll?

There is a hyper-link to the full article in the 1st post - you just have to click the mouse on it.......

Jekyll
Coppers don't get free travel on any train except virgin.
G.m.p don't even get free travel within g.m.p, not that I would want it

[quote=easygirl ]It used to be a fantastic career to have
It is now a terrible career to have, I retire in 234 days 6 hours 10 minutes
How old will you be?

I'll be stocking up on these:

[img] [/img]

and manning the barricades to keep the rabble out. No unemployed scrote is taking my workshop whilst I still have breath in my body!

Not a copper, but they do compulsory overtime up my way, extra hour on the weekend shifts as a starter. Been a very long time since they got housing and also they are paying off as many seniors as they can, not recruiting or promoting. Case in point; My mate needs a knee op but is putting it off as he is worried they will do everything they can to retire him on medical grounds as he has been in 28 years.As it is he knows he will be binned as soon as he hits 30 years as it is money NOT experience that counts.In your local town you would be suprised at the rank of the officer in charge on a Saturday afternoon football match(and not in a good way)

Is it really that terrible? My 3 Friends who are in the police think its great, all in their 20's, Not saying its easy btw, but they are glad to have a positive career path!

Druidh
I'll be 53, but feel like 63 with all the shit I've dealt with over the last 30 years
And I mean proper shit, murdered children etc
Really screws with your head
Would I do it again, probably not if I'm honest

how does the good old carry on about police (and public sector) pay being the same (? presumably London weighting) in all areas, so in some areas they are very well paid indeed but in the higher cost areas no so ?

"Police officers may receive a housing allowance, take early retirement, and a pension package which is better than most public sector workers, he says" - being blunt here anybody still on a salary based scheme should be very relieved on being so.

edit

Is it really that terrible? My 3 Friends who are in the police think its great, all in their 20's, Not saying its easy btw, but they are glad to have a positive career path!

Agree.. know a few police officers and they all love the job.

I'll be 53, but feel like 63 with all the shit I've dealt with over the last 30 years

And we don't get to retire with a comfortable pension at 53.

Seems having read the article it's not really the full story, what a shock, it would seem they want it changed for hose without experience to be paid less than those with. It also mentions that you will progress through the pay scale quicker too. It's not the job it once was so much has changed, pensions, perks, hours and conditions.

Thats still about £8000 more than my wife earns for a full time job in the public sector. A job that she's been doing 10 years, required 3 years college and puts her in the line of danger every day (without the uniform to protect her)

Full time for 10 years and still on £11k? I'm intrigued what does she do?

And we don't get to retire with a comfortable pension at 53.

druidh did 😀

And we don't get to retire with a comfortable pension at 53.

Yeah but did you take a job that offered that at the time or did do something else?

[quote=dangerousbeans ]> And we don't get to retire with a comfortable pension at 53.
druidh did
Twice!!!

40 hours a week, for 11k. Thats well below minimum wage.
5.50 an hour.

Full time for 10 years and still on £11k? I'm intrigued what does she do?

Minimum wage for a 37 hour week is £11,910...

Minimum wage for a 37 hour week is £11,910...

Thanks, not sure that answered my question though.

dangerousbeans » > And we don't get to retire with a comfortable pension at 53.
druidh did

Twice!!!

lol

Yeah but did you take a job that offered that at the time or did do something else?

must be very comfortable retiring at 53 on two thirds of final salary and a lump sum of four times final salary and i can understand why they object to being called plebs when they are clearly toffs..

You need to ensure that you get quality people in, not just people who need jobs. Case in point is my cousin. He'd been a special for a while then after losing his job joined the police proper. For the first 4-5 years he didn't really "get" being a copper (according to my old man, retired former senior officer) as it was just a job to him. Eventually the penny dropped and he's doing very well now.

I'd rather see a situation where the scale doesn't go up as much but you attract good people who might otherwise opt for other jobs than doing what the proposals suggest.

Full time for 10 years and still on £11k? I'm intrigued what does she do?

Teaching Assistant - Mainstream school/special needs. Had many more on the job injuries (inc broken bones) than her mate who has been in the police force about the same time.

I chose another career path but, to be honest, at 16 a pension wasn't exactly the main consideration for what I was going to do with my working life.

There's your answer.

At 16 I chose a career that would give me security and a decent pension, sadly turns out that the Government has shafted me on one of those and nearly on the other. Do I wish at 21 I switched to the Police force and would only have a few years left like an ex-colleague did that started with me, yeah sometimes I do. However, I didn't but I'm not bitter at those that did.

chapeau on considering your pension at 16, I certainly never did.

By cutting the wage will be the start of making the Private sector able to bid and take over
the services of the Police force and the remainder staff be Tupe'd over.

To be honest for what respect you get and the lack of using force against an never
ending law on there side undesirables is the job sadly actually worth doing.

You would have thought this Congoverment learnt what G4S provided to secure the Olympic Games
would be to give more and provide a better service.

Its just another Tory ending **** UP !

Turned out to be a waste of time though. 😀

What is this 'pension' of which you speak?

£144 a week for the rest of us.

By cutting the wage will be the start of making the Private sector able to bid and take overthe services of the Police force and the remainder staff be Tupe'd over.

That's the one!!! What the Tories are gleefully doing is reducing the liabilities of the police service, in fact, pretty much every public service (pensions, salaries, perks, anything) to a bare minimum, so that when they hand the lot, lock stock and barrel over to G4S, Capita, Serco, their rich, venture capitalist friends can make an absolute killing!

It really is that simple!

What is this 'pension' of which you speak?

Something some considered and others didn't, those that didn't still get one though but not as good as those who chose to pay into an extra one or a career which offered one.

I do not want my police force run by private companies, how can we stop this happening?

Could anyone whose argument effectively amounts to "I get a crap deal, therefore other people should too" please kindly stop it? That's just the kind of race-to-the-bottom that powerful people love to encourage with their divide-and-rule strivers and shirkers nonsense. Thank you.,

I do not want my police force run by private companies, how can we stop this happening?

Too late for that now, I'm afraid. Dave and chums have got the wheels well and truly in motion already. To be made irreversible before they're voted out this time around. As with the NHS and education, unfortunately. Think John Major and the rushed rail privatisation, as a sign of things to come. That all went well, didn't it?

In 5 years they'll have effectively dismantled and privatised 'the State'. That's the goal anyhow

£144 a week for the rest of us

Not sure how this is in any way relevant tho, you can pay into a personal pension you know you don't have to rely on the state

Not sure how this is in any way relevant tho, you can pay into a personal pension you know you don't have to rely on the state

binners - Member
What is this 'pension' of which you speak?

🙄

Not sure how this is in any way relevant tho, you can pay into a personal pension you know you don't have to rely on the state

I've had a private pension. for years. you'd be better off sticking your money in a mattress. Or down a drain. Or possibly burning it.

Expect the next (oh-so-predictable) financial scandal to be pension related. Its a dead cert

*runs off to put private pension on the 3.15 at Aintree*

jekkyl....the Police wont be privately run for several reasons.

Firstly its a massive vote loser, the public know the reputation of G4S, Reliance, GeoAmey etc etc....the party to introduce it will be staring down the barrel of an election defeat.

Secondly, these current pay cuts arent the actions of a government wanting rid of a state funded police force. If they wanted something like G4S to swoop in and tender for policing it would benefit the government to keep wages high so that a private firm could easily undercut current costs....by cutting pay now it becomes harder for a private firm to find savings....the only possibly sinister motive here is cheaper TUPE costs should police have to migrate across onto private contracts....but again refer to point one for how this would go down.

Thirdly, the police are supposed to be impartial. That impartiality becomes severely compromised once you're working for a private firm that chases profit in exchange for its services....in a hypothetical situation lets say the police was now G4S, whats to stop the police/G4S turning on the government or abandoning their duties once they get wind the contract is going to somebody else come renewal time?....messy?...just a bit.

Fourthly, private companies can strike....no government wants a police force that can strike, this raises the spectre of all manner of problems....social unrest etc...massive vote loser, could potentially see a government deemed unelectable.

While the theory of a private police force may appeal to some Tory MPs the reality is largely unworkable for the foreseeable future.

I think the reality is what we all know already, there is no money at the moment and the government is looking at all and any areas in which it can try and cut costs....no conspiracy theory required.

Ah I see 😉

I've had a private pension. for years. you'd be better off sticking your money in a mattress. Or down a drain. Or possibly burning it.

(And yes, I have changed 'advisor'. Twice.)

Firstly its a massive vote loser, the public know the reputation of G4S, Reliance, GeoAmey etc etc....the party to introduce it will be string down the barrel of an election defeat.

Everyone in the Tory party knows its electorally doomed anyway. And as for the Lib Dems......

I firmly believe that Dave and Co PLC knew right from the off that they were a one-term government. Even with Ed Millibean as the opposition! Hence the fixed 5 year term. Then they've set off to do as much irreversible damage as possible in the time-frame allowed

deviant you carry on thinking that. The Government have been doing the exact above
to the NHS since last year but never seem to make press.

As binners says the last time the Conservative party was in just look at what irreversible
privatisation they done then and some how we are still subsiding these company up to date
An win win for the boys one would say.

binners, should be fairly easy for Labour to put right then?

The coalition has how long left in government?....few years, three at the most....it would take far longer than that for this government to tender out private policing and for the interested parties to submit their bids....things like this move at a glacial pace.

Grantway, the privatisation of NHS service started years ago.
I've been in the NHS since 2000 and under the last Labour government private firms tendered for (and won) plenty of NHS contracts, then the private ambulance services started winning contracts for 999 work prior to the Con/Lib election in 2010.

binners, should be fairly easy for Labour to put right then?

The Labour party are a complete waste of space. As relevant to modern life as the steam engine. They don't even know what they're for.

The coalition has how long left in government?....few years, three at the most....it would take far longer than that for this government to tender out private policing and for the interested parties to submit their bids....things like this move at a glacial pace.

So being a Copper has its downsides -

You have to deal with horrific things, which are hard to deal with.. but so do paramedics, firemen and Soldiers.

The pension isn't quite as good as it used to be - but compared with most (including quite a lot of other public sector jobs) it is still gold plated.

You have to work crappy hours, have your holidays cancelled at short notice and it can really mess with your family life - I'm sure the Armed forces are with you on that one.

You have to put up with the dregs of society abusing you/hitting you/spitting at you - my wife is a secondary school teacher, and has to deal with all this, with no back up, no mace spray, no ability to arrest people and accidently bang their head on the side of the police car as they are taking them 'down the station'

You have to spend hours doing pointless paperwork when you'd rather be either out Policing the streets, or at home with your kids.. well thankfully you get paid for it, unlike most teachers who take home piles of books to mark every night..

And now new recruits are being expected to start on more money than the adverage squaddie starts on?

I really can't understand why it is still over-subscribbed, with the MET being almost impossible to get into (have a couple of mates who are trying)

Grantway, the privatisation of NHS service started years ago.
I've been in the NHS since 2000 and under the last Labour government private firms tendered for (and won) plenty of NHS contracts, then the private ambulance services started winning contracts for 999 work prior to the Con/Lib election in 2010.

You would find the Tories started it before then.

The Labour party are a complete waste of space. As relevant to modern life as the steam engine. They don't even know what they're for.

They are about a "Common Purpose"

There is this - mine is worth less than the amount I have put into it. My pension advisors’ recommendation - pay more in so [s]I have[/s] [b]he has [/b]enough to retire on

FIFY 😉

big_n_daft - Member

There is this - mine is worth less than the amount I have put into it. My pension advisors’ recommendation - pay more in so I have he has enough to retire on
FIFY

zero sympathy for the police over this, £19k is still decent money and there are still good benefits. Compared with other jobs on offer it's well above average.

Jesus. There's some real mis-information on this thread.

Sounds like some of you probably shout at cyclists for not paying road tax too, your facts are so wrong...

This lt don't let the facts get in the way of a good argument
The facts are almost irrelevant

totalshell - Member
must be very comfortable retiring at 53 on two thirds of final salary and a lump sum of four times final salary and i can understand why they object to being called plebs when they are clearly toffs..

I seriously doubt they were called plebs at all. They probably made that up along with the crowd of shocked witnesses outside 10 Downing street, and the letter from appalled of Ruislip they fabricated. How hard of thinking do you have to be to do that knowing the CC TV recording will prove you a liar.

And as for Hogan-Howe he needs to be sacked for his unequivocal backing of the idiots before he'd checked the evidence. He still didn't have a basic grasp of the facts when he went in front of the Parliamentary Select Committee. Incompetent twonk.

Also good money to be made flogging info to tabloids, like the corrupt anti-terrorism officer convicted last week. All in all my confidence in the police force is being eroded piece by piece even though I know its a thankless job!

Sorry haven't read the whole thread so no doubt missed the clever arguments but my sisters a WPC. No Housing or travel allowance. Not a great pension as she joined late. Average height and slim build. Her force is already understaffed and she was sent by herself to break up a pub brawl at the weekend. Any volunteers on here to do that? In the past she has been punched in the face, kicked, bitten and had piss and sh~t thrown at her and was in the front line during the riots. If you think they don't earn their money as a rule then you are a fool. As a job I think it's dangerous and sucks for the money. 19k for all that is rubbish and most forces aren't recruiting anyway due to cuts. Im off to heckle some nurses now on behalf of the underpaid financiers who have shafted us all and reaped the benefits.

£19k during training with a guaranteed annual incremental increase for 10 years; with a better than average pension

Still seems like a very good remuneration package

Going back a page I find the 11k for a TA salary hard to believe. I work in schools and am reasonably aware of salaries etc. Also, my mum became a TA in a special educational needs school about 3-4 years ago. She did her nvq on the job and is on more than 11k per year. Agree with the being exposed to danger bit-she has been assaulted a few times, II can't deal with it tbh so she doesn't tell me many of the stories now-there's something about six foot lads hitting my 53 year old mum that I just can't forgive regardless of their background!

I'm not doubting it's a tough job, but the salary and pension aren't half bad.

Going back a page I find the 11k for a TA salary hard to believe. I work in schools and am reasonably aware of salaries etc. Also, my mum became a TA in a special educational needs school about 3-4 years ago. She did her nvq on the job and is on more than 11k per year. Agree with the being exposed to danger bit-she has been assaulted a few times, II can't deal with it tbh so she doesn't tell me many of the stories now-there's something about six foot lads hitting my 53 year old mum that I just can't forgive regardless of their background!

I dont understand why you find it hard to believe.. She currently brings home just under £1100 per month but with the elimination of the 25% pay cut last year (due to the single status pay review) which is being phased in over the next five years, she will be on a LOT less. You dont have to take my word for it.. all the info is freely available on the nottinghamshire county council website.

Are you a teacher? I've always found most teachers (and my daughter is one) completely out of touch with just how little teaching assistants are paid.

I dont understand why you find it hard to believe.. She currently brings home just under £1100 per month

I find it hard to believe as she brings home just £1100 pcm.