Wiltshire Police officers face resorting to food parcels
Wiltshire Police Federation says some officers can't afford basics
Last updated 7th Nov 2022
Police officers in Wiltshire are being offered parcels with food and toiletries to help them cope with increases in the cost of living.
The Wiltshire Police Federation came up with a "Law & Larder" scheme after some of its officers admitted struggling to pay for basic needs, like food and fuel.
The federation says that although the scheme's been set up as a way to help lower-paid officers cope a rise in costs, it's open to officers of any rank and their families.
Since 1 September 2022, the basic starting salary for officers is between £23,556 and £26,682 depending on qualifications and experience.
Wiltshire Police Federation Chair, Phil Matthews, explained food parcels will be sent out to officers who request it via the federation's website.
"This scheme is designed to assist officers that are in need. The Federation is very aware of how officers are struggling financially, and we want to help where we can. That last week of each month when officers are debating whether to buy food or fuel is a real issue.
"I speak with officers regularly about this and with increasing fuel bills heading into the colder months, this won’t be getting any easier."
Officers leaving to find better paid jobs
In July, the Home Office announced it was nearing its half-way target to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets by 2023.
Stats released at the time indicated that an extra 9,814 police officers had been recruited across the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Policing received a boost of £1.1 billion in Government funding this year, totalling up to £16.9 billion in funding for 2022/23.
However, Federation Secretary and Wiltshire Police Constable, Sarah Ennis, says investment in recruiting new officers is being wasted on officers who leave during their probation period, after realising that their wages aren't enough to sustain themselves or their families.
"Officers are finding that they're not bringing home a lot of money. Once you take your mortgage or rent, and the costs to come to work, like fuel, they're not left with much money to feed themselves.
"We would rather they stayed with us, but at the end of the day they have to make the choices that are best for them and their families.
"It's not ideal because we invest in those officers, we invest in the recruitment and their training, but there isn't anything else we can do. We can't offer them anymore money as an individual force, we have to rely on the Government to provide that."
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“Our police officers do an extraordinary job fighting crime and keeping us safe and it is right that they are fairly rewarded.
“That’s why we’ve increased funding for the policing system by more than £1 billion this year, providing up to £16.9 billion in 2022/23 and ensured every police officer received a £1.9k uplift to their salary this year which equalled up to a 8.8% increase for those on the lower salary bands.”
PC Sarah Ennis doesn't think that's enough for officers struggling to make ends meet:
"The £1,900 might sound like a lot but over a 12-month period it's not a great deal, and it's not going to help with the rise in fuel costs and energy.
"To not be able to afford your basics is quite worrying. The perception of the public is that police officers should be paid enough not to have to go to food banks and to ask for handouts. It feels like we've gone backwards."