Police pay rise will use Rotherham CSE money, crime commissioner says

Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings expressed mixed feelings about police and prison service raises.

His statement comes one day after the Government announced the end of a one per cent pay rise cap on some public sector pay.

Police officers will receive one per cent pay rise plus a one per cent bonus — doctors, nurses and other public workers are not affected.

Dr Billings said: “I am pleased that police and prison officers in South Yorkshire will receive pay increases.

“But the announcement that police officers are to receive a pay rise of one percent plus a ‘bonus’ of one percent has two stings in the tail.

“First, the pay rises are wiped out by the increase in the cost of living that was announced on the same day.

“Second, no new money is being given to cover the cost — therefore PCCs will have to find the money from within existing budgets.

“That means the reserves will have to be used. This is a potentially dangerous path since reserves are kept for a reason.”

Dr Billings explained that reserves in South Yorkshire were kept to cover the costs of Hillsborough investigations and CSE in Rotherham.

He added: “Considerable sums of money are involved and the reserves are there in part to pay for them.”