£5,000 cash bonus for police officers to stay 18 months

The force has struggled to hang on to officers in recent years, and those who have stayed find themselves being regularly asked to do overtime.

Retention has not been helped by social media pressure when camera footage is published and increasing threats of legal action against officers. More than 10% of officers resigned during 2022.

It has had permission from the Home Affairs and Policy & Resources committees to pay these ranks a cash bonus of £5,000 each – effectively a 10% bonus for most, with constable salaries ranging from £40,000 to £55,000.

The money is coming from Home Affairs’ unspent wage bill. Officers must have passed probation and not be on unsatisfactory performance procedures.

If they leave before the 18 months have passed, they will have to repay one-eighteenth for each month they have not served.

‘Recognising how stretched public money is, this was not a decision that was taken lightly,’ said Home Affairs president Rob Prow.

‘However we as a committee both feel it is an important recognition of the burden officers have borne, and a necessity to ensure our force remains staffed, stable, resilient, and holds onto the levels of expertise it needs.’

Deputy Prow admitted that officers had been ‘working in conditions of acute sustained pressure for some years’ while the complexity of their work continued to grow.

‘It is important that we reward these officers for the efforts they have put in during this protracted period.’

Announcing the deal, which was agreed with the Guernsey Police Association, the officers’ ‘union’, yesterday, even the committee described the payment as ‘extraordinary’.

Home Affairs said that officers faced the pressure of an ever-increasing number of unsociable shifts, additional overtime, and having leave and rest days cancelled. It was paying to ‘thank officers for that significant professional effort and commitment and to assist with maintaining a resilient and experienced workforce’.

But it added that recent recruitment efforts had paid off, with a local cohort of constables starting training in the autumn alongside three transferred officers and another cohort of transferees currently being interviewed or considering a move to the island.

The force’s minimum target operating model would see it staffed with 151 officers, but it has not hit that for more than a decade.

This year it has averaged 137 and the numbers are impacted by officers on long-term sickness.

Home Affairs and Police Chief Ruari Hardy are currently reviewing police numbers, and the committee has supported a request from the Police Association for a wholesale review of pay, terms and conditions for officers, but this falls within P&R’s mandate.

A spokesman for the States said its marketing team working on police recruitment had revitalised old campaigns with direct-to-public engagement events, more out-of-home advertising, and improved digital advertising.

‘We are always seeking to use modern and effective advertising tools for vacant roles,’ he added.