29/05/2026
Lancashire Police Federation has outlined the financial and operational struggles facing officers in the force to PCC Clive Grunshaw.
Federation Chair Martin Midgley explained how many younger officers are living payday to payday with no financial security, and how his colleagues are repeatedly being taken off regular duties to make up for shortfalls elsewhere.
Martin said: “I've raised with him the things that really matter to police officers in Lancashire. I was able to present some figures from a recent survey by Police Friendly that showed over 40% of our 25 to 34 year old police officers have less than £100 left at the end of the month.
“This shows that a lot of our officers are living nearly hand to mouth, no savings, not able to save. And this again puts them under a lot of financial pressure as well as mental wellbeing pressure they're under due to the significant amount of trauma they deal with, and demands on them through increasing workloads as well.”
At the other end of the career scale, Martin highlighted that officers nearing retirement are having to deal with the blow of suddenly finding out they will be leaving with substantially less money than they had planned for.
He explained: “This has really affected officers who are just about to retire, and I've raised examples of officers who are due to retire this week, who are uncertain of what money is going to come in, how that money is going to be paid, and what their actual figures are they're going to receive.
“It's another really shocking example of how the Government are treating police officers, with little regard for their welfare and little regard for the pay and conditions, which they're actively eroding away at the minute.”
As well as financial issues, Martin told the PCC about the burden on officers of the trauma they experience at work, and the important of protecting rest days so colleagues can fully recuperate from their duties.
He said: “A part of the Federation's plan is we're looking to work to where we can support to build public confidence in policing. We need the public to be backing our police officers and understanding the pressure that they are under.
“We need their support when we start looking to how we tackle these issues on a bigger scale, and put pressure on Government and MPs to realise that change needs to come into the pay and conditions of police officers.
“One element of that is abstraction rates. We've got a Neighbourhood policing guarantee at the minute, and the concern is the deviation rate of officers being pulled back onto the Response teams, they're coming away from their Neighbourhood duties to fill in a core function of policing.
“But that then puts those officers under more pressure because they're now having to service the needs of the community in their Neighbourhood role, with less time within that neighbourhood, and that puts pressure on those officers. Also, it's not their core role, they need to be out there and dealing with the community issues, building those relationships and building public trust and confidence in policing.
“The PCC is keen to hear the true voice of our frontline police officers, what they're facing and what they're dealing with – this will help him in his decision making and how he can influence how the force progresses forward.
“I'm here wanting to make sure that our police officers are getting the best support, the best pay and conditions, and their welfare is paramount in decision making by our chief officer team and the PCC. And he is influential in that decision making.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “This was a constructive meeting and an important opportunity to hear directly from Federation representatives about the challenges officers are facing.
“I am committed to working with the Chief Constable and partners to ensure our officers are properly supported, both in terms of their welfare and the demands placed upon them, so they can continue to protect the public effectively.”