Police chief issues warning amid plans to cut starting salary

North Yorkshire Police’s Temporary Chief Constable Tim Madgwick told the Yorkshire Post that the move to cut the starting salary for police constables by £4,000 to £19,000 could dissuade some potential candidates from signing up.

Home Secretary Theresa May claimed the reforms were part of a programme to “modernise police pay and conditions so that they are fair to both officers and the taxpayer”.

But Mr Madgwick said: “There are economic pressures and we have been faced with making significant savings in North Yorkshire Police. We do not want to lose the best candidates, and these new plans will undoubtedly have an impact.”

Mrs May was responding to a series of recommendations made by the Police Arbitration Tribunal last year. She also accepted plans to introduce a national on-call allowance of £15 for each daily on-call session for rank-and-file officers from April.

In addition, competence-related threshold payments (CRTPs) - a bonus available to those who are at the top of the pay scale and can demonstrate they are strong performers - will be phased out over the next three years.

The Police Federation of England and Wales said the cut in the starting rate for new officers is “ill conceived and fails to reflect the dangers and demands inherent in the job”.

email [email protected]