THE MORALE of West Midlands Police is the worst in the country according to a recent study.
More than 1,000 officers across the county took part in the survey in which two thirds claimed their job caused them to feel at a low ebb.
The overall treatment of police was the top reason, followed by pay, well-being and work and life balance.
And limited opportunities for development, workload, treatment by senior managers and day to day life in the force followed in close succession.
The study also revealed nearly 75 per cent of officers would not recommend a career in the force.
Secretary of West Midlands Police Federation Steve Grange blamed budget cuts, resulting in the loss of some 2,000 officers in the last seven years.
He said: “With fewer officers to go around, we are finding that our members are run ragged as they try to do the job they joined to do – fighting crime, keeping the peace and protecting our communities.”
With a loss of over £130million in the last five years, the force has faced the biggest cut in the whole country.
And with a £2.5million slash in government funding, the figure is likely to rise.
Director Ali Layne-Smith said: “Being a police officer is an incredibly difficult job and as an employer we are very conscious of our responsibility to look after our staff and offer support when it is needed.
“Officers routinely put themselves in dangerous situations to protect the public and can face distressing scenes on a daily basis.
“Our officers and staff have access to a free, confidential telephone counselling as well as one-to-one counselling sessions to help them through difficult times. In addition we have increased funding for occupational health support especially for issues relating to mental health.”
“We’ve had over to join us this year. The survey also shows that there is a great deal of pride in working for the police, which motivates officers to put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis. As an organisation we are absolutely committed to offering our officers and staff appropriate support.”
