COPPED ENOUGH SUPPORTING COPPED ENOUGH
Police officers from regions across the country have been speaking up and speaking out about the hardships and difficulties they, and their families, face because of continued degradation of pay and working conditions. Here is what some of them have said on camera
T/SGT. STEVE BOLSOVER CLEVELAND CONSTABULARY Steve Balsover, a former Cleveland Police sergeant, medically retired after a brutal on-duty assault in 2023 left him with life-changing injuries. His 20+ year career involved frontline, armed, and training roles, but culminated in PTSD, chronic pain, and emotional trauma. He speaks candidly about the pressures officers face—from violent confrontations to mental health struggles and public scrutiny. Steve highlights systemic issues: low pay, lack of support, and bureaucratic hurdles that devalue police service and retirement. Ultimately, he questions whether policing is worth the cost and calls for urgent reform to protect and support those who serve.
years’ experience, reveals the intense strain on modern frontline policing. He describes rocketing call volumes, unsafe staffing levels, and overwhelming caseloads that endanger both officers and public service quality. Financial hardship is rampant among younger officers, who
“I would never join now,
knowing what it’s like as a police officer. It’s just not worth it”
often rely on credit just to get by, fuelling burnout and driving resignations. Mental health struggles—including Scott’s own— are widespread, with existing support systems falling short of real needs. He urges better pay, clearer role boundaries, and realistic expectations for recruits, emphasising that long-term wellbeing must come before pension promises.
DI KERRY AKEHURST SURREY POLICE Kerry Akehurst, a Detective Inspector with 20+ years’ service, shares how modern policing has shifted toward centralised hubs and digital crime. She highlights overwhelming workloads, especially digital admin, which limits time for victim support and increases stress. Mental health struggles are widespread, with officers facing emotional trauma, isolation, and inadequate external understanding or support. Low pay and high living costs force officers into excessive overtime, creating a cycle of burnout and harming retention—especially in detective roles. Despite her passion for the job, Kerry urges realism about its financial and emotional toll, calling for better pay, support, and recognition.
PC A SUSSEX POLICE OFFICER “When I joined 2.5 years ago, I didn’t quite realise how bad the pay would be.” PC A shares his experiences as a young in service officer and the compromises that he has had to make to serve as a police officer. Having previously earned a good salary as in recruitment, PC A knew he would be taking a pay cut to serve the people of Sussex. Now just a few years in, he is considering whether the job
he loves is really worth compromising on building the life he wants for him and his partner. “Had it not been for my savings, I just couldn’t have stuck it out. I thought the salary would have increased at a faster rate than it has.”
SGT. SCOTT DAVIES WEST MIDLANDS POLICE Scott Davis, a police sergeant with 22
06 | POLICE | JUNE | 2025
SGT. KELLY PALMER LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE “It’s kind of like watching the titanic heading towards the iceberg and not being able to do anything about it.” Sgt Kelly Palmer discusses the demand and pressure that police officers face day to day and the lack of fair compensation that officers risk everyday. “I would never join now, knowing what it’s like as a police officer. It’s just not worth it.” She also shares her struggles with the effects of the job on her personal life as she cares for her two disabled children and how despite only being paid for her part time work, she often ends up working on rest days due to the amount of demand she is under as a neighbourhood sergeant. Sgt. Palmer draws a comparison between her partner who works at a local authority on the same pay with next to no risk. “I often think, is this really worth it?”
DC X SUSSEX POLICE OFFICER “Today is worse than yesterday but it’s not as bad as tomorrow will be.” After 29 years DC X has just about had enough of policing. Describing the challenges he faces on a daily basis, DC X gives a bleak outline of he’s experiences as he navigates financial pressures and the pressures of the job. “It has got to the point where I have a count of the days I have got left, but sometimes I can’t even face checking it.” Discussing the lack of support during his time as a detective, DC X describes how the impact of the job changed his ability to spend time with his family and how he ended up relying on colleagues for support he should have been able to get from the force. Finally, DC X tells how he had saved enough money for his first holiday in eight years, only to be told that due to demand he was not allowed leave.
Find all the Copped Enough case studies on our YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/@PoliceFederation
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