A pay and morale survey carried out in 2021 revealed that 95% of officers in the force do not feel respected by the Government.
Forty percent say they worry about their finances every day, and one in ten officers say they never, or almost never, have enough money to cover all their essentials.
With workload reported by a majority as “too high or much too high”, and salaries having fallen sharply in real terms, morale is low, says Devon and Cornwall Police Federation chairman Andy Berry.
“The results of our Pay and Morale Survey clearly illustrate the anger and disillusionment of our colleagues and cannot be ignored,” he said.
“Police officers are realistic professionals who fully understand the public purse is not a bottomless pit. But the sheer unfairness of being snubbed for a deserved pay rise, added to rising inflation, the effects of austerity cuts and the pandemic, plus of course the forthcoming impact of the National Insurance increase, will not be forgotten by our members.
“The entire service is underfunded, and police officers have been totally undervalued by this Government, and therefore the relationship between those responsible for the public purse and those who serve the public has been damaged almost beyond repair.”
There is a crisis in retainment of police officers, Mr Berry continued.
“People are our biggest and most valuable asset, and those in power need to realise if they continue to take police officers for granted the service will become less and less attractive as a worthwhile career. It is unprecedented that so many of our members want to resign before they have completed their full service.”