FINANCIAL WELLBEING


POLICE FEELING THE PINCH


Officers are no different to the rest of the nation suffering during the cost-of-living crisis. With Christmas approaching, PFEW Wellbeing Secretary Belinda Goodwin encourages officers to seek financial advice


For many police officers who are struggling to make ends meet, talking openly about financial struggles can be extremely difficult. But it is vital that they do, says Belinda. “Obviously, the cost-of-living crisis is massive for our officers, seeing as we just got a pittance of a pay rise. We’ve just come out of a year’s pay freeze. So, all of that hits our officers very hard. “This is a priority within the business, and PFEW has been working with several third- party partners and want to ensure that officers, forces, and chiefs are aware of the tools available to them. Some forces have paid for their officers to have the Blue Light Card, which is amazing.”


Belinda raised concerns about officers


taking on additional overtime: “A lot of officers rely on overtime to help them with their budget, which is unhealthy and something we do not want to promote. “We started to look at financial wellbeing during lockdown when crime decreased and there was no overtime. We saw the impact and started to look at what we can do with forces long-term,” she said. “By looking at the operational side of things, putting the onus back onto the chiefs, we started to try to think smarter, asking questions like ‘have they got officers that could work nearer to home?’” “As we ramp up to December and


January, we are starting to focus more on financial wellbeing. There is often more worry, hindrance factors, and the extra pressures of the family on many of our officers at this time of year; some have young families to think of and are trying to cope with the pressures in the workplace. “We were hearing anecdotally that officers were going to payday loans to get extra money but this can affect future credit obligations. We want to educate our officers more on this.


education is written into the syllabus. Nicky Ryan, PFEW’s Welsh Lead, added


“A lot of officers rely on overtime to help them with their budget, which is unhealthy and is something we do not want to promote”


“We have previously done work around addiction and gambling, and now we’re looking at how we can encourage officers to come forward if they’re struggling , because that’s how we can support them. The onus is then on the chiefs to protect and safeguard that officer. “Recently, we connected with Chief


Constable Chris Rowley from Lancashire; we suggested we do a joint letter to the National Police Chiefs Council outlining what we are doing proactively from our end. We want to know what measures they are putting into place. “We have also spoken to the College of Policing, with the request that financial


that officers could tap into claiming money back: “There are many things that officers can do financially to re-coup expenses but keeping on top of your admin and your finances is the only way to do this. Make sure you know what tax breaks you are entitled to. Most Officers can claim back the tax on their PFEW subscription, but officers will need to check with their force payroll depts to ensure that the tax adjustments are not made at source. “Officers need to be aware of their overtime rate entitlements and claim accordingly. Never negotiate a lower rate with your line manager.


“Working from home is often overlooked, and some officers can claim £6 a week. All officers need to do to claim this is to visit the Inland Revenue website and complete the online proforma. If eligible, your tax code will be adjusted accordingly. “Officers must claim what they are entitled to. I would urge them all to familiarise themselves with the PFEW Quick Reference Guide and their Force expense policy, so claiming becomes a familiar practice,” Nicky said.


Disclaimer: Check with your payroll department, as entitlements can differ from force to force.


45 | POLICE | DECEMBER 2022


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