Targeted pay is an easy way to cause division between officers

DRIVING ‘targeted pay’ through the next PRRB police pay calculations is a ‘very easy way’ to create division among officers, Essex Police Federation has warned.

The Federation has joined others across England and Wales in criticising the plans, but that shouldn’t stop them from having a proper conversation about it, Essex Chairman Steve Taylor believes.

The topic was brought up by the Home Secretary in his letter to the pay review board authorising them to begin their salary calculations for 2019/20. He also says that affordability must be considered throughout.

“Targeted pay is a very, very easy way in which to create division and disappointment amongst our members,” Steve said.

“We have reservations on this matter right across the piece. However, that doesn’t mean that we can devolve our responsibility to have an informed, moderate conversation on the issue, because our members are potentially in a position to benefit from targeted pay, so whilst we have a general view, mine being that it’s going to be very easy to get this wrong, we still have a duty to look at it rationally and play our part.

“We’re all having those early conversations in the force, and we note with interest that in Essex our superintendent’s association have turned around and said to the organisation, ‘if you think individual superintending roles are worth targeted pay then you do it. Don’t ask us to make recommendations ourselves’.

“I think that’s the right decision and it’s something the Federation will be looking to follow suit on. But equally we’re not running away from the decision.”

Steve wants to see a stronger PRRB, one that feels emboldened to stand up and push back against Government decisions especially when it ignores it’s findings.

Meanwhile, a judicial review into how the last pay award was handled by the Government, brought by the PFEW, has been ratified and is likely to take place in the summer.

“It’s clear that the fact that we’ve had to take the wider process as far as a judicial review, speaks volumes about the amount of confidence we can have in the process as a whole,” he said.

“The surprising thing there is that it’s not that independent pay and review body that are doing the reviewing.

“They are the ones being ignored and not listened to. Whilst we feel the consequence of that and we feel that our arguments, which are accepted by that independent body and then ignored, we rightfully feel aggrieved, a big question throughout this whole matter has been, why is that independent body prepared to be treated in such a dismissive way?

“If the independent nature of their being is to count for anything then surely they must be able to make those representations, otherwise they’re not independent are they?”