Talented Hampshire police officers leaving force because of years of below-inflation pay rises, says federation

In July, a detective chief inspector hung up their cuffs and this month a superintendent is leaving – both officers have been recruited in better-paid jobs outside policing.

Zoë Wakefield, federation chair, said: ‘We’ve got lots of people that are now looking for jobs outside of policing. We’ve got an officer who had nearly 20 years’ service and has got a job working four days a week, earning more than she had at five days a week for the police.

‘Every year now you think, “I’m just going to get a pay cut every year”. That’s how police officers look at it. And the only reason people are staying is because they actually love policing. But people are starting to see that their families are suffering, so they are looking for better-paid jobs.’