Police wage boost 'ends uncertainty and doubt' - body but questions whether enough cash will come to pay for 7,000-strong recruitment drive
A boost to police wages has been welcomed by a major law enforcement body – but they’ve warned there’s still doubt over whether Northern Ireland will have enough cash to pay for a planned PSNI recruitment drive next year.
That’s the view of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, as more than £100m is to be injected into Northern Ireland’s public sector for pay increases.
Announced yesterday, the move will see wage rises for health workers, police, teachers and infrastructure workers, and will also see an additional £7m to cover the first year of a programme to rebuild PSNI numbers.
Police Federation chair Liam Kelly the 4.2% pay award would come as a relief for officers and their families, though he pointed out it’s several months later than expected.
“Pay is an annual challenge which frankly needs streamlined and simplified,” he said. “We have too much bureaucracy involved and all that does is cause unnecessary delay.
“Retaining pay parity with colleagues in England and Wales was an important element here and I welcome retention of this link. In overall terms, this is a welcome end to uncertainty and doubt.”
In total, policing is to get £11.6m from the public sector boost. Mr Kelly said the £7m to cover the first year of the PSNI’s recovery plan is good to see, though he had concerns over whether a much larger amount needed next year to fund a recruitment blitz will be available.
“The first tranche of funding for the recovery plan puts us on the first rung of the ladder towards a much-needed expansion in officer numbers,” he stated.
“The intention is to reach 7,000 officers by 2028 and I hope sufficient substantial resources will be provided over the next two years to help us reach that target – but I have to say that, given the state of Northern Ireland finances, doubt remains over the much larger allocation that is required next year to significantly boost recruitment.”
Justice Minister Naomi Long said she’d work to get the wage rise into officers’ pay packets as soon as possible.
“It is crucial that the PSNI can recruit and retain highly skilled and motivated people, and pay plays an important role in achieving this,” she added.