This week I had a sobering meeting with the Norfolk Police Federation, and what they had to say was deeply concerning. They are frustrated by how the police are portrayed in the media and the wider public’s perception of them.
They feel ‘policing by consent’ is at real risk, partly because of the politicisation of policing and the accusations of “two-tier policing”, for example. Officer morale is low, with workloads becoming unmanageable.
Like many frontline public sector workers, they see first-hand the impact of over a decade of austerity. Social infrastructure collapse – or near collapse – means the police and NHS are increasingly left to deal with crises they were never meant to handle. Recruitment is a struggle, and pay is a big part of the problem. Shockingly, around 10% of officers nationwide can’t even afford to pay into their pensions.
Urgent action on police pay and funding
So I have approached the home secretary with my concerns. They echo those expressed to me by the Norfolk Police Federation and unions representing non-frontline staff, to push for action on pay, funding, and morale. This crisis is not going away – in fact it’s deepening.
I am concerned at the impact of underfunding and the other concerns on police staff and officers, and their wider consequences for public safety. Both Unison and the Police Federation have raised these points with me.
I am told that, nationwide, police forces face significant budget deficits, which it is clear severely affect operational effectiveness. Years of underfunding have left forces struggling to maintain essential services. Without intervention, the situation will continue to deteriorate.
Wasted resources, fewer officers on the frontline
Both Unison and the federation say that the consequence has been misallocating police officers into police staff roles. Across England and Wales, an estimated 6,000 police officers are currently filling vacant staff positions, rather than being deployed in frontline policing. This wastes highly trained officers and undermines public expectations of visible policing.
To address this, I would like the government to consider ending the police officer uplift number targets, and removing the financial penalties on forces that fall below these targets. That would allow chief constables the flexibility to make workforce decisions based on local needs. I agree with the call form both Unison and the federation for the government to provide a fair 2025 police grant settlement, and to undertake a long term funding review that restores police budgets, eliminates force deficits, and ensures proper recruitment of police staff so officers can return to frontline duties.
‘Two-tier policing’ myth adds to officers’ strain
Beyond the funding crisis, I want to highlight the worrying low morale among police officers. They say they are increasingly frustrated by an unfounded public perception of so-called “two-tier” policing, which they believe is undermining trust in the service.
In the meantime, I want to thank all those working in policing and our public services. Your work – often in challenging circumstances – keeps our communities running. After 15 years of cuts, you all deserve the support and investment the public rightly wants to see you receive.
