Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the public sector pay freeze above £24,000 on the retention and recruitment of (a) police officers, (b) PCSOs and (c) police staff.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) provides independent advice to the Government on pay and conditions for police officers. The number of officers earning less than £24,000 per annum will be considered by the PRRB in the 2021/22 pay round.

Following the 2020 Spending Review, at least £400m additional funding has been allocated for police forces next year to continue the Police Uplift Programme. This will enable the recruitment of up to 6,000 additional officers next year, continuing the progress on recruitment to date. All forces are well on track to meet their year one allocation and over 5,000 officers have already been recruited as a result of this Government drive.

The retention of experienced police officers is a priority for the Home Office. We are working alongside the National Police Chiefs’ Council to maximise opportunities to retain police officers who have valuable skills and policing experience.

The Government has no statutory role in determining the pay and conditions for police staff, including Police Community Support Officers, which are agreed locally by Chief Constables in consultation with trade unions.