SUPPORT FAIR PAY FOR POLICE OFFICERS

Police officers cannot take any form of industrial action, yet they routinely face difficult, unpredictable, and unsafe situations, often without enough staff. Last year, officers worked 97,000 hours in overtime hours in just six months. They are also 3.5 times more likely to suffer from PTSD than the general population. This is unsustainable.

Most recruits are drawn to policing because they want to keep your community safe and assist the casualties of crime – especially the vulnerable, sexual abuse survivors, and victims of violence and family harm. But concerns about the cost-of-living crisis and their wellbeing are getting in the way of police officers being able to support you and your community. Meanwhile, they are subject to political whims that often redirect scarce resource away from what many would prefer to focus on – their fellow Kiwis!

Everyone knows teachers and nurses are undervalued. But did you know that after nine years in the job, a police officer earns up to $9000 less than if they had joined a different public service profession. Most have considered leaving in the past year, and many don’t see their pay reflecting the risk of the job they walk into every day.

So for the first time in 90 years, police and their union, the NZ Police Association, are campaigning for the government to Repay the Risk through a decent lift in pay and conditions. While police officers cannot take industrial action, they can ask you to support this campaign. They try their best to show up for you during some of the most difficult times in your life.

Will you now show up for them?