Fifth of officers plan to leave Nottinghamshire Police within two years

The Police Federation said police officers are reaching “breaking point” and leaving the service due to pay and work conditions.

The federation’s pay and morale survey, carried out in September and October last year, shows 19 per cent of the 119 officers in Nottinghamshire Police who responded said they were planning to leave the service.

About 10 per cent said they intended to resign from the force within the next two years and 9 per cent stated they are already looking for other employment.

Altogether, the rate is more than double that in the previous survey in 2021, when 9 per cent of officers said they were planning to resign.

Inspector Paul Shortt, of Nottinghamshire Police’s people services team, said: “Policing is a rewarding career with many opportunities to progress into different areas, but some people may find the reality of the role, with all the challenges and demands it brings, asks too much of them and their families.

“Recruiting higher numbers inevitably means more people will, after having had the opportunity to experience the role, decide it is not for them and leave the service.

“As with all careers, some people move on rather than enjoying a lifelong career in policing, but the numbers of people leaving before retirement age is relatively low.

“Furthermore, it is worth noting officer ranks in Nottinghamshire are at their highest levels in more than a decade following the Police Uplift programme.

“Our force now has 2,448 officers, which equates to an addition 427 officers serving on the frontline compared to 2019 when Uplift was introduced.

“This means Nottinghamshire Police are able to put more officers on to the streets giving a better service to the public in the county.

“All new officers complete a programme of learning and development.

“We aim to support all of our staff throughout their careers and believe policing within Nottinghamshire offers a sense of job satisfaction, reward and variety that is unmatched in most careers.

“Pay is a national issue which cannot be directly influenced by individual forces. We also recognise that staff in other public sectors, and many in the private sector are in a similar position and that this challenge is not unique to policing.”

Of Nottinghamshire Police officers who said they were planning to leave, the main reasons cited were morale, 84 per cent, the impact of the job on their mental health and wellbeing, 79 per cent, and how police are treated by the government, 74 per cent.

The survey also showed 44 per cent of the area’s officers said they had a low or very low level of morale, down from 45 per cent in 2021.

Additionally, 89 per cent said they do not feel the government respects them and 73 per cent said they do not feel respected by the public.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Policing is a career like no other and we need officers to keep communities safe and cut crime. We are injecting record funds into policing and giving officers the support, training and powers they need to crack down on crime.”