Some 27% of London police officers miss meals, while 8% visit a food bank due to rising costs, according to a new survey published on Thursday.
The study, conducted by Metfriendly, a financial service for Metropolitan Police, this February and March, said most of the officers are worse off than they were six months ago.
The proportion of respondents having financial concerns increased from 74% in August 2022 to 86%, according to the poll which questioned some 3,200 serving police officers and staff.
Respondents missing meals in the last year, due to a lack of money, increased from 22% to 27%, while food bank access increased from 6% to 8%.
Meanwhile, 75% of respondent police officers think their financial situation will get worse/lot worse over the next 12 months.
“In terms of activities that respondents are doing to make ends meet: 60% of respondents are doing more overtime to make ends meet, 26% are doing a second job, 40% are selling possessions, 37% are thinking of changing job and leaving Policing,” according to the results.
The study also revealed that the impact of increased housing costs, whether mortgage or rent, were mentioned more frequently than in previous surveys.
Police officers and staff are arriving at work hungry, stressed and concerned about their family’s future financial situation, it added.
“I am now in a position where I have to work O/T (overtime) to be able to afford any ‘extras’, I have no wriggle room left and struggle to save. I should not live to work and I feel Police have been unfairly targeted for lack of pay increases,” a respondent was quoted as saying in the survey.
Another police officer said: “An overall increase in gas, electric and other household bills has placed a huge amount of pressure on our finances. I make the choice of buying food or keep up with the bills. I choose to make sure all the bills are paid, food is currently a luxury at times.”
“After tax, pension, rent, bills etc. I have about £300 ($378) a month to live on. That has to cover all my food, travel, socialising and just isn’t a comfortable amount especially considering the job I do.”
“I am unable to pay nursery fees in full for children under 3 and I have not eaten on a couple of occasions as the priority is to feed my children. Because I would rather my children eat and eat well and would skip several meals for that,” said a respondent.
On the findings, Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “It cannot be right that police officers, the people who society turn to when they are most in need, are themselves turning to food banks, getting into unsustainable debt and choosing not to eat so they can pay their bills.”
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