More than 9 in 10 Thames Valley Police officers do not feel fairly paid, survey finds
Federation chair says leave refusals are the most worrying force-specific result
93% of Thames Valley Police officers do not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job, and 78% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall pay and allowances, new figures show.
The figures come from the 2026 Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Report.
The survey is based on 663 responses from Thames Valley Police officers.
The report found 32% of officers frequently cannot meet their household's financial needs.
It found 25% say they are satisfied with their job.
27% intend to resign from the service either within the next two years or as soon as they can.
The survey also showed 68% do not feel valued in the police, and 71% would not recommend joining the service.
68% of officers say their workload is too high or much too high, and 49% have had at least one rest day cancelled in the past 12 months.
49% of respondents are not confident in their force's ability to resource appropriately for day-to-day operational demands.
28% say their team has been fully staffed on very few or no shifts in the past three months.
69% say their force relies heavily on officer goodwill to meet routine operational demands, and 53% have felt unsafe on duty because of staffing levels in the past three months.
71% of officers who responded to the survey are too fatigued to carry out their duties.
In Thames Valley Police, 45% of officers have been physically attacked by a member of the public in the past 12 months, and 75% do not have access to double crewing at all times while on duty.
Thames Valley Police Federation Chair Aileen O'Connor said: "The most concerning findings for me are the number of officers who say they intend to resign, which is above the national average and among the highest forces in England and Wales."
She said: "More than two-thirds of our members say their workload is too high or much too high – again this is above the national average."
She said: "But by far the most concerning finding from this survey for me is that 83% of our officers have had annual leave refused – this is an extraordinary 23 points above the national average and arguably the most concerning force-specific result in the report."
"I am also keen to compare the data from 2025 with this year because at first glance there are areas that have improved – for example personal and force morale, and pride in policing across TVP remains relatively strong."
She said: "However, the more worrying news is that more officers are considering leaving, workload pressures have increased, fatigue is having greater impact on operational effectiveness and family life and leave refusals have become a major issue."
She said: "It's a priority for me to look at the data around the sheer amount of unnecessary demand that our officers are facing, for example attending non crime-related matters where other authorities or agencies should be the first port of call."
She added: "I will be discussing these results with the Chief in the coming days to see how we can improve."
The survey showed 82% of respondents had experienced stress, low mood or anxiety in the past 12 months.
42% find their job very or extremely stressful.
47% have sought help for stress, low mood, anxiety or other mental health difficulties, and 68% rate their force's support for officers and their wellbeing as inadequate or requiring improvement.
The survey also looked at the effect policing has on officers' personal lives.
In Thames Valley Police, 36% of officers are often or always pressured to work long hours.
79% of respondents say they have been so fatigued that it has interfered with their family or social life in the past month.
57% have had to cancel personal plans because of last-minute work requirements in the past 12 months.
40% have worked during annual leave to catch up, 22% have had at least one free day cancelled in the past 12 months, and 25% have had their roster changed more than 10 times in the past 12 months.
For the first time, the survey asked how policing affects parents and carers.
In Thames Valley Police, 74% of mothers and 48% of fathers said they have had to change job roles or teams to meet their obligations as a parent.