Government to create a system of police pay that saves £150 million a year

Home secretary Theresa May has approved a pay deal for police in England and Wales that will save an estimated £150 million a year.

The home secretary told an audience at the Institute of Civil Engineers on 30 January that police reforms will not just save money but equip the police to face the future.

May said: “When people talk about public service reform it is often through the prism of cuts. With the deficit we have, that is understandable, but it is just not what our police reforms are about.

“Of course, the need to make savings makes reform more urgent than ever. But the aim of our police reforms is not just to save money, it is to equip the police to face the future and make them more effective at fighting crime.”

The recommendations come after a full independent review of police and pay conditions was completed by lawyer Tom Winsor in 2011. The review was then considered by the independent Police Arbitration Tribunal.

The government's police procurement programme has already realised savings of £34 million, projected to rise to around £70 million by the end of the financial year.