Abstract
Ø The real and relative pay of police officers in England and Wales has declined significantly in recent years, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction within the federated ranks, poor morale, and low levels of trust in government and the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).
Ø One way to redress this decline is through payment for the unique responsibilities and restrictions that police officers face in their working and non-working lives.
Ø The unique aspects of police service have long been recognised but not always fully
enumerated in officers’ base pay.
Ø The Winsor Review (2012) put a percentage figure on the ‘danger and deployment’
elements of what it called the ‘X-Factor’, albeit designed as an 8% deduction from base pay for officers who did not fulfil their operational requirements.
Ø In 2018, the NPCC began work on a revised X-Factor – rebranded as the P-factor – to
reflect changes to both the level of demand and the nature of police work in the period since the Winsor Review.
Ø It is imperative to separate out the P-factor from base pay and not conflate the purpose of this payment with other elements of the reward structure and strategy for police officers.
Ø The current proposal is for a P-factor of 13% of base pay, but this has yet to be
systematically enumerated or fully reflected in base pay.
Ø Based on the evidence and approach presented in the Winsor report, if it is accepted that 8% of the X- (now P-) factor is already incorporated in base pay, this means that 5% is still unaccounted and unpaid.
Ø Based on the 2023 pay scale, this would increase constables’ pay point 7 from £46,044 to £48,162.
Ø The PRRB has recently called on the Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) to work together as a matter of urgency to undertake a comprehensive review of police remuneration.
Ø This review must also involve staff association if procedural as well as distributional
justice is to be restored within the police service.
Ø One way to redress this decline is through payment for the unique responsibilities and restrictions that police officers face in their working and non-working lives.
Ø The unique aspects of police service have long been recognised but not always fully
enumerated in officers’ base pay.
Ø The Winsor Review (2012) put a percentage figure on the ‘danger and deployment’
elements of what it called the ‘X-Factor’, albeit designed as an 8% deduction from base pay for officers who did not fulfil their operational requirements.
Ø In 2018, the NPCC began work on a revised X-Factor – rebranded as the P-factor – to
reflect changes to both the level of demand and the nature of police work in the period since the Winsor Review.
Ø It is imperative to separate out the P-factor from base pay and not conflate the purpose of this payment with other elements of the reward structure and strategy for police officers.
Ø The current proposal is for a P-factor of 13% of base pay, but this has yet to be
systematically enumerated or fully reflected in base pay.
Ø Based on the evidence and approach presented in the Winsor report, if it is accepted that 8% of the X- (now P-) factor is already incorporated in base pay, this means that 5% is still unaccounted and unpaid.
Ø Based on the 2023 pay scale, this would increase constables’ pay point 7 from £46,044 to £48,162.
Ø The PRRB has recently called on the Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) to work together as a matter of urgency to undertake a comprehensive review of police remuneration.
Ø This review must also involve staff association if procedural as well as distributional
justice is to be restored within the police service.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
