Cost of living crisis: Sheffield police officers 'struggling' to afford fuel due to rising costs

The South Yorkshire Police Federation described it as "absolutely scandalous" that officers are struggling to make ends meet financially while they’re "risking their lives and their health" to protect the public. This comes at the same time as a report showing officers taking time off for stress-related illness is up 28 per cent from last year in South Yorkshire, and up 57 per cent nationally.

Rising food costs, energy bills, inflation, and worries about paying the mortgage are hitting officers hard, according to federation chair Steve Kent. He said: “Before, it was a drip in terms of officers coming to us in financial difficulty, but what I’m concerned about is: is that drip going to turn into a stream? We've got officers who live on one side of the county, and because of the Peak District it takes them a long time to get to work. They’ve been struggling to afford fuel."

The average UK salary for an entry-level police officer is £25,490, according to Indeed. No1 CopperPot Credit Union and Serve & Protect are holding financial seminars around the force, giving assistance and advice to staff.

Mr Kent added: “We know this is not just a problem in policing, this is a problem across the board, but it comes on the back of 12 years of horrendous pay progression for police officers. So where officers should be significantly financially better off at the moment, maybe better equipped to deal with the financial crisis, they’re not."

A £1,900 salary uplift for all ranks was announced in July to start from 1 September 2022, which is equivalent to a five per cent overall pay award. The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) said: "The settlement is still below inflation. PFEW believes the Government still has a long way to go to demonstrate they are treating officers with the dignity and respect they deserve."

Officers struggling with the cost of living crisis should approach their federation representative, who can signpost them to help.