A QUARTER of cops say they plan to resign within the next two years, a shock survey reveals today.
Fed-up officers cite poor pay and working conditions for wanting to leave the force.
The exodus threatened by cops emerged in an annual pay and morale survey by the rank and file Police Federation of England and Wales of its 140,000 members.
Fed leaders say mass resignations of serving cops threatens a public safety crisis and warn the loss of experienced officers and expense of replacing them could cost taxpayers almost £10 billion in the next 10 years.
It comes as hundreds of cops are being recruited to go and work in Western Australia, where police are actively recruiting officers here.
Cops have also quit in their droves to become train drivers and work in the security industry and there has been a massive upswing of officers taking on second jobs such as driving taxis and painting and decorating.
The Fed have launched a campaign – ‘Copped Enough: What the Police Take Home is Criminal’ – to raise awareness of the thin blue line being stretched beyond repair.
National Fed acting chair Tiff Lynch warned: “This could be the end of the line unless the Government act.”
She said police salaries had been cut by a fifth in real terms since 2010 and added: “What police officers take home is criminal.”
Ms Lynch added: “Police officers are overworked, underpaid, and under threat.
“We need properly-funded urgent action to stop the mass exodus of experienced officers which is putting public safety at risk.
“You can’t have safe communities without enough police, and you can’t have enough police if poor pay and poor care drives them away.”
The Fed says voluntary resignations have already risen by 142% since 2018 and warn if the trend continues, 10,000 officers will resign every year by 2027.
Using National Audit Office figures on the police uplift of 20,000 new cops announced by Boris Johnson, the Fed says the Government will have to spend £9.9bn on recruiting and training replacement officers “just to stand still.”
They also point out that 35% of current officers have five or less year’s experience, a third more than in 2020.
Ms Lynch said: “The people suffering are the community. They are not getting the service they rightly deserve and pay for.”
In addition, the survey revealed 32 officers are injured every day in violent assaults — up nearly 50% since 2018.
And four in five cops – 81% – report poor mental health, the highest of any UK profession.
More than 20 police officers die by suicide every year with hundreds more attempting suicide.
The Fed’s ‘Copped Enough’ campaign is calling on the Government to take immediate action on pay, develop a plan to keep officers and provide better protection for cops and tougher sentences for thugs who assault officers.
There were 35,000 respondents to the Police Federation survey, of whom 23% said they planned to quit within the next two years.
GettyA quarter of cops say they plan to resign within the next two years, a survey reveals today[/caption]
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123
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