Sid,
In my experience, pilot salaries in particular only increase significantly when no-one will do the job for what is on offer. Myself and at least one other poster here were "burned" by the whims of a certain Chief Constable over direct employment issues. We both walked.
The Police have another option - keep the budget the same but make the goal posts wider with regard to minimum experience requirements; that appears to be the preferred option in these days of rampant bean countery.