Half of the police staff workforce do not feel valued by the Police Service and two thirds say stress levels have increased, according to the first independent national survey of police staff, released by UNISON today.
UNISON, which represents 30,000 members in the police service, is calling on the Home Office, ACPO and APA to improve the status, training, management, and terms and conditions of police staff, who make up a third of the police workforce.
UNISON National Officer for Police Staff, Ben Priestley, said:
“The most worrying statistic is that half our members do not feel valued by their police force. This speaks volumes about the distance which the police service still needs to cover before it can claim it has an effective, efficient and integrated workforce.
“The survey shows that the police staff workforce is working flexibly and is open to change and modernisation, but is being held back by old fashioned notions of status, lack of managerial support, low pay, unequal pay and discrimination. UNISON is determined that these barriers to progress should be taken down. We call on all the other police stakeholders to work with us to this end.”
UNISON has strongly supported the government’s Police Reform Act, and the new roles, responsibilities and powers which it has given to police staff. UNISON has backed these changes because they promise professional development, job growth, higher status and more job satisfaction.
“These promises must be delivered up front, not on account, if this ambitious reform programme is to succeed. The Police Service is undergoing a radical process of reform and we want to ensure that this process benefits all staff,” Ben Priestley added.
The survey, by independent pollsters NOP, found:
. 50% of police staff do not feel valued by the Police Service
. Female police staff are losing out unfairly to men in relation to pay and training
. Less than half of police staff have a personal training plan
. 63% believe there is still a status divide in the service between police staff and police officers
. 76% of members say workloads have increased
. 66% say stress levels have grown
. 49% do not feel supported by their manager in relation to workload pressures
. 37% had been subjected to, or witnessed a colleague being subjected to racial harassment, homophobia or bullying
. 50% of staff take home less than £300 net a week.
Police staff make up a third of the police workforce. They have a wide variety of roles in administration and clerical; enquiry and station posts; criminal justice units; forensic and scientific units; crime and incidence management; analyst and intelligence units; fingerprinting; training departments and vehicle workshops.
A copy of the report can be obtained from the UNISON Press Office. Please call 0207 388 1183 or email j.robinson@unison.co.uk
ENDS