A REVIEW has been launched into looking at the pay and conditions of staff across West Midlands Police.

This marks the first real review of the force’s pay structure since 2005 – when WMP adopted ‘widebanding’ – and will look at how roles are evaluated, what they are paid, and the allowances people receive.

Chief Constable Dave Thompson said: “The nature of the work and hours police staff do has changed dramatically in recent years.

“It is only right that we take the opportunity to look at our structure and whether our approach to pay is still fit for purpose in modern times, in the same way that officer conditions have been reviewed nationally.”

The review aims to bring historic processes up to date by looking at all aspects of how a job is evaluated in terms of skills, responsibility, seniority and pay, the allowances people receive and whether the comparative value of roles is fair.

The intention is that any new approach will recognise the skills and competences needed now, and in the future, while offering a better way of rewarding staff that acknowledges performance and that an individual’s contribution is more important than time served or hours worked.

Chief Constable Thompson added: “We have to address the fact that the force has evolved in a way that our pay and conditions have not.

“In some cases we have staff working alongside officers with the same role being performed but vast differences in pay and conditions – equally there are instances of staff being able to claim allowances or overtime which sees them earn more than their officer colleagues.

“It’s a fine balance, particularly when the pay and conditions of officers are set nationally, but this project seeks to ensure we are paying our people fairly for what they do.

“We know any project of this nature can lead to unease or concern with colleagues and while it may not be what people want to hear, on a personal level, we have to accept that it is long overdue and is the right thing to do. Let me be clear, this is all about modernising and acting fairly, it is not a back door way of addressing budgets, reducing our workforce or cutting our costs.”

The review is expected to take between 12 to 18 months and no significant changes are expected before 2019.