It cannot be right that police officers, the people to whom society turns when most in need, are themselves turning to food banks, getting into unsustainable debt and choosing not to eat so that they can pay their bills.
I have called for a pay rise for police officers that is in line with inflation. I renew that call and urge the Government to accept any recommendation from the independent pay review body in full and without delay.
Frontline officers have seen their salaries fall by around 17 per cent in real terms over a decade.
This week, a report has been published that details the very real impact that these cuts to real-terms pay are having in the context of broader financial pressures brought on by changes in the economy and the cost of living.
It shows that 86 per cent of Metropolitan police officers and staff now have concerns about their finances. A quarter have missed meals due to a lack of money and almost one in 10 has had to resort to a food bank.
There have been increases in the number of officers and staff who are missing financial obligations, deciding to stop paying into their pensions, working second jobs, and worrying that their situations are going to get worse still.
The case for reform is powerful and urgent.
It is not just a matter of fairness. It is in the public’s interest that officers can come to work able to focus fully on the difficult and often dangerous job that they do.
They cannot be at their best if they are worried about making mortgage payments or providing for their families, or if they are exhausted because working overtime or taking an additional job is the only way that they can make ends meet.
We know that these challenges are caused by more than just police pay but we cannot ignore the reality that the cumulative impact of pay offers that have failed to keep pace with the cost of living has had a significant detrimental effect.
This is clearly unfair on serving police officers but it also makes recruiting new officers in London’s competitive employment market even more difficult.
I have heard from young officers who should be in the most rewarding stage of their careers but are having to consider whether policing is for them because low starting salaries make it so challenging to afford to live in the current climate.
Earlier this year, I took the unusual decision to attend the Police Pay Review Remuneration Board to give evidence in person.
The case I and others have made is supported by the testimonies of many officers and is backed up by the findings of this latest report. I sincerely hope that it focuses the minds of those in government when they consider, in the coming weeks, the recommendations that are put before them.
I hope that we will also see a recognition from the Home Office that police funding, more broadly, must take into account the need for police pay to increase.
Police support staff perform equally important operational roles, dealing directly with members of the public and victims of crime. Without them, the frontline roles undertaken by officers would be impossible.
The pay review body does not make recommendations regarding the salaries of back-up staff but we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that they can benefit from a comparable pay offer in line with what I hope police officers will receive.
I will continue to make this case on behalf of the tens of thousands of outstanding men and women in the Met who deserve recognition, including financially, for the service they give to London
Sir Mark Rowley is the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
