Could each of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Candidates please indicate how they are going to address this damning report. Thank you.
Pay and Morale Survey 2023 – Thames Valley Police March 2024
Author: Police Federation of England and Wales
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RESPONDENTS AND RESPONSE RATE
• 917 responses were received from Thames Valley Police, representing a response rate of around 18 per cent (based on March 2023 Home Office figures of officer headcount)1 .
MORALE
• 51 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police told us that their morale is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’.
• 81 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police felt that morale within the force is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’.
INTENTION TO LEAVE
• 20 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police told us that they intend to resign from the police service either ‘within the next two years’ or ‘as soon as [they] can’.
• In Thames Valley Police the most frequently cited reasons for intending to leave were morale, the impact of the job on mental health and wellbeing, and how the police are treated by the government (with 82 per cent, 77 per cent and 70 per cent respectively).
PAY AND REMUNERATION
• 73 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances).
• 91 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported that their cost of living had increased in the last month, with an increase in the price of their food shop being the most cited reason (85 per cent).
• 83 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago.
• 19 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ having enough money to cover all their essentials.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
• 32 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported being ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with opportunities for training and 46 per cent reported being ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with the Professional Development Review (PDR) process.
• 89 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police have had a PDR in the past 12 months.
• 92 per cent of respondents who are line managers from Thames Valley Police were able to complete PDRs for all their direct reports.
• 11 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police have applied for promotion to the next rank up from the one they are currently in this year.
CONDITIONS
• 66 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’.
• 6 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they have ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ been able to take an 11-hour break between shifts in the last 12 months.
• 36 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police feel ‘always’ or ‘often’ pressured into working long hours over the last 12 months.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELLBEING
• 68 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police indicated that their overall physical health is ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
• 42 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they find their job ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful.
• 85 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police indicated that they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last 12 months.
• 35 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police have experienced verbal insults (e.g., swearing, shouting, abuse) at least once per week in the past 12 months.
• 11 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police have experienced unarmed physical attacks (e.g., struggling to get free, wrestling, hitting, kicking) at least once per week in the past 12 months.
• Only 31 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported having access to double crewing at all times whilst on duty.
• 7 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported that they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related accidents in the last year.
• 11 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police reported that they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year. MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD
• 92 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they do not feel respected by the government.
• 66 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they would not recommend joining the police to others.
• 65 per cent of respondents from Thames Valley Police said that they did not feel valued within the police.
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