Mike Peake was responding to the Police Federation of England and Wales’ call for a minimum 7% annual pay rise for each of the next three years.

In its report to the Police Remuneration Review Body for 2026, PFEW said the multi-year pay settlement was essential to improve retention, morale and operational capability. It also called for a raft of improvements to officer conditions, including increased allowances and annual leave.

By contrast, the National Police Chiefs’ Council is supporting a 3.5% pay rise if it is fully funded by the Government, or a below-inflation 2.5% if it is not.

Mike said: “I fully support PFEW’s call for police officers to receive a 7% pay rise, and for an uplift in allowances connected to our terms and conditions.

“Greater Manchester Police officers work incredibly hard, and this is reflected in the improved performance of the force. Such improvements can only be realised by the hard work and dedication by those who protect Greater Manchester communities day in and day out. However, that dedication comes at a price – officer burnout and mental health-related sickness has never been so high.

“In addition to existing overwhelming demands, Greater Manchester continues to see an increasing number of protests, which require a significant policing presence. This leads to cancelled rest days for many officers who are already exhausted and struggling to take much-needed time off.

“The Government needs to acknowledge that many experienced officers cannot wait to get out of policing, as the demands and pressure of the role are becoming too great. A decent pay rise and improvements to conditions would go a long way towards GMP officers feeling valued for the incredibly difficult job they do.”

The PFEW is also calling for:

– Full recognition of the ‘P Factor’ in police pay, to properly reflect the risks, restrictions and obligations unique to policing.

– Fewer pay points for PCs to simplify progression and improve competitiveness, including removing the lowest pay points to reflect frontline expectations from day one.

– Increase the unsocial hours allowance from 10% to 20%, for work between 8pm and 6am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

– Acting up and temporary promotion payments should be paid from day one and made pensionable.

– The maximum London and South East allowance should be paid as standard.

– Increased annual leave, with any unused leave to be paid.

– A new long-service leave and recuperation leave.

– Workload payments to Inspectors and Chief Inspectors should be extended, with additional pay for hours worked beyond 48 per week, pending a full review of the 1994 PNB Agreement.

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This includes the families of DC Mick Swindells, of West Midlands Police; PC Alan McMurray, of Lothian and Borders Police; and PC Sandra Edwards, of South Yorkshire Police.

Also receiving the award will be the families of fallen officers PC Laurence Brown, of the Metropolitan Police; PC Andrew Winterburn, of West Yorkshire Police; PC John Alcock, of Grampian Police; PC Kenneth Adams, of Hampshire Constabulary; and from Norfolk Constabulary PC Bernard Brown, PC David Protheroe Davies and DC Terence Glister.

The Elizabeth Emblem recognises the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives as a result of their duty. It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.

This is the third list of Elizabeth Emblem recipients to be published. The next of kin are awarded the national form of recognition.

The design of the Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath, a traditional symbol of remembrance, which surrounds the Tudor Crown.

It is inscribed with ‘For A Life Given In Service’, and will have the name of the person for whom it is in memoriam inscribed on the reverse of the Emblem.

It includes a pin to allow the award to be worn on clothing by the next of kin of the deceased.

The full list of those to be awarded the Elizabeth Emblem is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-elizabeth-emblem-application-guidance-and-eligibility/list-of-recipients-of-the-elizabeth-emblem-15th-january-2026

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The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is today calling for the silent crisis of police suicide to end – as this new data reveals the devastating scale of this crisis killing officers.

47 of the 70 suicides and 173 of 236 attempted suicides are attributable to officers involved in misconduct or criminal investigations against them.

In 2025 the link was even stronger, with 12 of 13 police officer suicides that the Federation is aware of involving officers under investigation.

Police forces are not required to record suicide or attempted suicide, meaning the Federation’s data is likely to significantly undercount the real figures.

The lack of recording means that policing is not currently regarded by the Office for National Statistics as an “occupation at risk”.

The Federation has set out a six-point plan to combat the crisis:

• Chief Constables need to agree today to begin recording and reporting on suicide and attempted suicide in the workforce.
• Police conduct regulations need to mandate a 12-month limit for disciplinary investigations into police officers, whether that is by the IOPC or police forces.
• Health and Safety legislation needs to treat police suicide as an incident at work and therefore reportable and investigated under ‘RIDDOR’ rules.
• All forces should implement the STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign, launched by Hampshire Police Federation. The campaign calls for the downloading by forces of the Stay Alive app and mandatory TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) interventions for any officer attending a suicide.
• The coronial system needs to reflect the unique aggravating or contributory factors of the role of police officers in suicide and ensure that the crisis is dealt with nationally rather than through a patchwork of “prevention of future deaths” reports after individual inquests.
• The Police Covenant needs to be funded to better support the welfare and wellbeing of police officers in the same way that the Armed Forces Covenant and Covenant Trust does.

For more information about the Stay Alive app, visit stayalive.prevent-suicide.org.uk. Officers and police staff members who are struggling should know that they are not alone, and that there are people there to help.

This includes, for immediacy: Samaritans: call 116 123 and Oscar Kilo’s Mental Health Crisis Line: call 0300 131 2789.

The post Federation sets out six-point plan to combat the suicide crisis affecting policing appeared first on Greater Manchester Police Federation.

Many GMP operational departments are operating with less staff, and officers are having to work harder than ever.

For a long time now, I have been raising my concerns around sustainability as officers struggle to meet demand. Officer burn out is real and this was evidenced by the local results of this year’s National Police Wellbeing Survey.

• 67 % of officers’ state that they face unrealistic time pressures.
• 74 % find it difficult to take enough breaks.
• 66 % of officers are feeling fatigue or physical exhaustion through work.
• 57 % feel burnt out because of their job.
In addition to this only one in five officers feel that their pay and benefits are fair for the work they do.

The PFEW launched its sustained ‘Copped Enough’ pay campaign – what the police take home is criminal, which seeks to highlight how police pay has declined since 2010 and why police pay needs to improve.

The Government announced a police officer pay award of 4.2% which falls far short of the real term pay cut police officers have experienced since 2010. Officers deserve pay and conditions that truly reflect the demands, dangers, and dedication of policing and that is what I, along with PFEW will continue to fight for.

Sadly, the world was shocked when the news broke about the horrendous terrorist attack in Crumpsall on 2nd October. My thoughts are still with the families who were affected and lost loved ones.

GMPs initial response to the incident was first class and I commend those officers who ran towards danger neutralising the threat as quickly as they did.

The subsequent demand became incredible as officers were placed on 12-hour shifts and rest days were cancelled.

GMP became stretched beyond its limits and officer exhaustion very quickly kicked in, but everyone pulled together to protect and reassure the community.

Looking forward, The government has announced that it is to produce a police reform white paper. The first steps being to save £100 million by abolishing Police Crime Commissioners by 2028, whilst this will have little impact locally, as Greater Manchester already has an elected mayor structure in place, we await further news on how other government reforms will drive quality, consistency and efficiency in policing.

Whilst nothing is confirmed at present there is talk of regionalising policing forces, which would result in a reduction of the current 43 police force model that exists in England and Wales. I eagerly await the content of the white paper and along with PFEW will be showing a keen interest on how any changes will affect officers in GMP.

Christmas is a busy time for police officers, and I hope that you get the chance to spend some quality time with family and loved ones. I ask everyone to share a thought for the many officers who will be working shifts over the Christmas period protecting our communities.

I hope that you stay safe and celebrate whenever you can.

I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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In addition, the current student officer 50% discount will end, meaning that from 1 January 2026 all new members joining the Federation will contribute at a single standard rate from their first day of membership. There will be no change to the rate for current student officers.

Motions proposing the subscription fee increase and ending the student officer discount passed with heavy majorities after voting at the Federation’s AGM on 18 November.

Why the change is being made

We know cost of living pressures continue to bite, and no one welcomes paying more. But maintaining the current rate is no longer sustainable if we are to protect, represent and support members in the way they expect and deserve.

Subscriptions have only risen twice in the past decade. In that time, we’ve absorbed rising costs, delivered more than £1 million in annual savings through restructuring, and continued to secure significant outcomes for members. 

Demand for our legal and welfare support continues to grow rapidly. Case volumes have risen by almost a third in three years, and this year alone we’ve secured more than £41 million in compensation for members. The cost of expert legal representation and specialist welfare services continues to increase at pace.

What the £2 increase will deliver

The increase is expected to generate around £3.36 million a year. This funding will help us to:

• Protect and strengthen core legal and welfare services, fighting on more fronts to deliver more for members
• A new victims and witnesses support programme, standing up to inappropriate and illegal workplace behaviour.
• Increase the impact of our campaigning on pay, conditions and wellbeing

Ending the student officer discount

The discounted rate for student officers, while well-intentioned, generates less than 0.3% of our total income. Our data also shows that newer officers often rely most heavily on Federation support.
Moving to one fair rate for all ensures consistency, sustainability and equal access to the same level of protection and support from day one.

Looking ahead

Our role is to stand beside you on your toughest days, in the moments that matter most, and in the national debates shaping the future of policing. These changes are about securing the Federation’s ability to do that, not just now but for the long term.

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In the session, ‘Code Zero: Policing’s Suicide Crisis’, delegates heard from PFEW national Health & Wellbeing Leads Richie Murray and Paul Williams, and Hampshire Police Federation Chair Spencer Wragg, who spearheads the STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign.

Tragically the conference was told there have been at least 10 suicides of police officers and staff around the country this year.

Richie said he wrote to all Federation branches asking how many of their officers had died by suicide between 2022 and 2024. Two large forces are yet to respond, but so far PFEW has been told about 55 officers who took their own lives in this period, of whom 34 were under investigation. In addition, 120 had reported attempting to take their own lives, 71 of whom were under investigation.

Richie said: “There is a huge causal link between officer suicides and investigations. And I think everybody in this room will say investigations are taking too long, and that it has to have an effect.”

Paul agreed, saying: “We arrest criminals, we send them through the Criminal Justice System. We prosecute, they go to court, they serve a sentence, potentially a prison sentence. Now that criminal could be released back on the street a lot quicker than a police officer who’s been served a basic misconduct form and put under investigation by their own force.”

In addition, forces should carry out a documented basic risk assessment on misconduct investigations and provide the officer with wraparound care, Paul said: “Allocating a welfare officer is sometimes just not good enough.”

Paul said that there needed to be “common minimum standards across the country”. He continued: “We heard yesterday that there’s a postcode lottery of wellbeing in forces: 43 different Chiefs, 43 different personalities.”

PFEW has been successful is getting a motion tabled with the House of Lords to amend the Police and Crime Act to mandate the recording of suicide and attempted suicide in forces.

Another proactive step is for forces to put the free Stay Alive app from Grassroots Suicide Prevention on all officers’ work phones, said Spencer. Spencer spoke about how he and the Martis Media team have promoted the STEP campaign around the country and succeeded in getting the Stay Alive app put on 8,000 officers’ phones in Hampshire and Thames Valley Police. He said: “We’re asking and pushing for Chiefs to put that on job mobile phones, which will cost them absolutely nothing.”

It is important for officers who are struggling to know they are not alone, and that there are people there to help.

This includes, for immediacy, the Mental Health Support line from Oscar Kilo 0300 131 2789.

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Deputy National Secretary Mel Warnes called for compassionate leadership in policing – saying that officers in need of support when they have difficulties in their home lives are faced with a postcode lottery, and that too often they are considered a drain on resources.

Mel called for a number of changes: full pay for family-related leave for bereavement; carer’s leave; neonatal care leave for parents of unwell babies; safe leave for officers experiencing domestic abuse; full pay after the death of a partner or child; paid leave for miscarriage or baby loss.

She said the service should introduce a risk assessment for officers who have dealt with serious issues such as these in their personal lives to ensure they are well and ready to go back to operational duty. “This isn’t radical, it’s humane and already happening in other sectors,” Mel said.

She criticised the National Police Chiefs’ Council for not taking up these issues due to cost, pointing out that the cost of officers leaving the job is actually much higher.

Saying that compassion defines good leadership, she added: “Culture starts at the top in how leaders respond when officers are struggling. This cannot wait. The problem is now. The solutions are simple. If there is a will to change, act now to support officers and provide a better service to the public.”

Mel said that officers subject to misconduct allegations were often assumed to be guilty and left to deal with the stresses and strains of the investigation alone – even when a significant percentage of these cases lead to no further action.

She said: “Too often officers under investigation are isolated and treated as though they are automatically guilty. Leadership means holding people to account without abandoning them. The conduct process can leave people demoralised and broken with shattered morale.

“We need the right people joining, but those people need the right support from the leaders of the organisation. Every year officers quietly juggle caring for parents, children while balancing the demands of police work. It’s an impossible situation. Exigencies of duty has been the get out clause for compassion for decades.

“We are asking for decency, dignity, compassion and understanding – the same values we show the public every day.”

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National Secretary John Partington told the 2025 PFEW conference that potential recruits risk being priced out of the job because pay and conditions are so inadequate for the role that officers carry out.

He also said that equal percentage pay rises are unfair as higher ranks end up taking home more than those on the front line because of their higher baseline salary. He said lower earners – who spend almost their entire income on essential costs – need higher awards to maintain real terms pay.

He said: “A superintendent and a constable face the same inflation, but not the same pressure. Identical percentages create inequality.”

He suggested that lower earners should get higher percentage pay rises to redress this balance.

John said: “Equal percentage pay awards might look fair on paper, but they’re not fair in practice. When everyone gets the same percentage rise, those on higher salaries keep far more of their income after the bills are paid, while those on the frontline see their disposable income vanish.

“Federated rank members today spend almost everything they earn just on living. Housing, energy, and fuel have risen far faster than pay, and what used to be a modest but secure income has become a financial struggle. Simple research for credible sources will show how rent has risen more than police pay.

“This isn’t about generosity – it’s about fairness. A superintendent and a constable face the same inflation, but not the same pressure. Identical percentages create real-terms inequality, not parity. Without correction policing risks becoming unaffordable to those who deliver it.

“That’s why the next pay settlement must recognise this truth: lower earners deserve a higher pay award. Because pay that protects buying power is what keeps people in the job, keeps policing professional, and keeps faith with those who hold the line every day.”

John explained that police conditions should also be improved – to mandate sufficient rest, recovery and resilience because of the unique demands of the job.

He told delegates: “This job affects your mental health, your family life, and your personal wellbeing like few others.

“The risk of assault, the threat of injury, the emotional toll, all of these are part of policing today. And they must be met not just with decent wages, but with conditions that support rest, recovery, and resilience.”

He also highlighted the urgent need to reform police recruitment, calling for mandatory psychological and psychometric testing for every applicant and throughout initial training.

He said: “This is about safeguarding the integrity of policing. Resilience, empathy and moral strength cannot be assumed – they must be tested and proven.”

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The local response to the 2025 National Wellbeing Survey also four that two thirds of GMP officers feel fatigue and physical exhaustion through work, with 57 per cent of officers reporting burnout. 

The National Police Wellbeing survey, which ran between May and June this year, found that 54 per cent of officers say the force is not committed to helping them balance work and home life. And more than half, (also 54 per cent) say they are dissatisfied with the recognition they get from the force for their work. 

Mike Peake, Chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “For some time now I have been raising concerns around the sustainability of performance levels as officers experience burnout. Most of the workforce report that they feel capable and trusted to do their job, but 67 per cent of officers state that they face unrealistic time pressures and a staggering 74 per cent find it difficult to take enough breaks.” 

Worryingly, 7 per cent of respondents said they are currently looking for another job and 18 per cent said they intend to leave the force or policing within a year, blaming pay, poor work-life balance and leadership as common reasons.

Mike added: “Given current government police funding this raises serious concerns around the huge cost to recruit and train new people to fill these anticipated gaps. More funding must be allocated to policing, as more police officers are needed to meet the relentless demand.

“Disappointingly only 18 per cent of officers believe senior leaders will act on the results from this survey, and most officers up to Chief Inspector rank are dissatisfied with the force’s support for employee health and wellbeing.”

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