They get overtime, how many jobs these days get overtime... Very few especially on plods basic! At sargeant and above they will only ones in the country to get o.t.
14% pension! Bloodyhell i don't know anyone outside of Brenda's employment who gets that.
Above inflation pay rises! Plenty of private sector guys have not got this for a few years too!
The behaviour seen at conferences etc really does not do them any favours! The amount on unresolved petty crime ditto!
Plenty of jobs still pay overtime even nowadays. As it happens it is only PC's and sergeants who get paid o/t in the police as Inspectors o/t stopped a couple of years ago.
We pay 14% into our pension and now have to serve 35 years before receiving it. There are a lot of people who pay less in and get more our than the police including MP's and judges. We still get a good deal even taking into account the higher contributions but the majority of us work hard dealing with the scum bags most MOP would rather keep away from. No one retires from the police at 38 on a full pension. Even the very few who joined at 18 on the old scheme would have to work until 48 before retiring and they really are the exception to the rule. Current pensions start to pay out at 55 and following new government guidelines the age will be moving to 60 very soon.
What above inflation pay rises? We are now subject to a pay freeze followed by a maximum of 1% pay rises for two years. I don't think we had above inflation pay rises even before the pay freeze.
We have very few ways of making our feelings know as we can't strike. That leaves us making the occasional march in our own time, lobbying MP's or barracking the home secretary on one of the very few occasions we see her face to face. I thought the reception at the conference was quite mild in comparison to how MP's normally act during a regular parliamentary debate or even PMQ's.
Police are realistic. We know that cuts have to be made and we are happy to accept our share. We are also happy with reform as the way we work is continuously being subjected to change whether its the introduction of something like PACE or new entry requirements and training. We are also subject to a massive amount of criticism such as the Daily Mail article and a tirade of negative briefings from the government. Right now though too much is being thrown at us in a haphazard way with privatisation being brought in by the back door.