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Force-by-force gender pay gap figures revealed

Pay disparities attributed by some to an imbalance in the number female officers
Published - 04/04/2018 By - Sophie Garrod and Press Association

Women at the police force with the highest gender pay gap in England and Wales make a quarter less than men, figures show.

Derbyshire Constabulary has a median gender pay gap of 28.8 per cent. When comparing hourly rates, women earn 71p for every £1 men earn.

Forces in Kent (27.5 per cent), Durham (27 per cent) and Dorset (27 per cent) follow in the list of those with the biggest gaps.

No police force has a gender pay gap in favour of women, and only Cleveland Police has no gap at all.

The Metropolitan Police is among the forces with the lowest gender pay gap, paying women 12.5 per cent less on average.

Every force in England and Wales has submitted its figures to the Government Equalities Office, which all companies and public bodies with 250 employees or more must do.

Last week West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Dee Collins said there has been a “sea change” with a rise in female senior police officers but more needs to be done.

CC Collins said the pay gap could lead to unconscious bias and difference in the way women and men negotiate recruitment and promotion.

The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the average salaries of men and women - it is not the same as equal pay, where firms are required to pay people doing the same job the same salary regardless of gender.

The national median gender pay gap is 18.4 per cent - 23 police forces have a pay gap at or below the national average, while 21 are higher.

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said its gender imbalance - 69 per cent of its officers are men, whilst 66 per cent of its staff employees are women - is a large factor in justifying its pay gap.

He explained an over-representation of men in higher-ranking positions – together with more men having been employed for longer periods - means a five per cent gap exists in its average police officer pay. Having more women in positions where the salary grade is lower accounts for an average gap of 11.6 per cent in staff.

“Those statistics are broadly similar to the national picture in policing, which tells a story of lots of progress made, but lots of work still to do. It’s a gap we are determined to close,” he added.

“We believe our median figure of 28.8 per cent is heavily skewed because we employ so many of our police staff directly as opposed to through external agencies, which are not included in the figures recently released by forces across the country.

“We are passionate about equality and committed to being as representative as possible of the community we serve.”

Kent Police likewise explained its gap is due to a gender imbalance in roles.

Mark Gilmartin, director of support services at the force, said: “Female police officers are represented well in more senior ranks, however there is more work to do.

“Addressing the disparity in representation at senior police officer levels will take time, but measures are already in place to help close the gap at Kent Police.”

Meanwhile Theresa May has vowed to tackle the "burning injustice" of the gender pay gap.

The Prime Minister used an article in the Daily Telegraph to compare the pay gap to the women's suffrage campaign a century ago, saying "major injustices still hold too many women back".

"There is also a clear economic imperative. It is estimated that if women and men enjoyed parity in their hours, pay and seniority at work then we could see up to £150 billion added to our GDP,” she added.

Mrs May said making the figures public "will make for uncomfortable reading", adding: "By making this information public, organisations will no longer have anywhere to hide.

"We will have established a baseline from which to hold them to account in the future.

"Shareholders and customers will expect to see improvements, and will be able to hold organisations to account if they fail to achieve them."

She also called on workplaces to rid themselves of "outdated stereotypes" and recognise that everyone brings their own experience into their role.

The Police Federation of England and Wales declined to comment on the issue.

How all forces rank

Derbyshire Constabulary - 28.8%

Kent Police - 27.5%

Dorset Police- 27.0%

Durham Constabulary - 27.0%

Cheshire Constabulary - 26.2%

Lancashire Constabulary - 24.7%

Leicestershire Police - 24.5%

Warwickshire Police - 22.0%

Humberside Police - 21.8%

South Yorkshire Police - 21.7%

West Mercia Police Authority - 21.7%

North Yorkshire Police - 20.8%

Essex Police - 20.7%

West Yorkshire Police - 20.7%

Avon & Somerset Constabulary - 20.4%

Suffolk Constabulary - 20.3%

South Wales Police - 20.2%

Northamptonshire Police - 19.5%

Thames Valley Police - 19.2%

Cumbria Constabulary - 19.1%

Hampshire Constabulary - 18.7%

Hertfordshire Constabulary - 18.4%

Staffordshire Police Headquarters - 17.9%

Wiltshire Constabulary - 17.6%

Gwent Police - 17.3%

North Wales Police - 17.3%

Merseyside Police - 16.4%

Northumbria Police - 15.0%

Sussex Police - 15.0%

Bedfordshire Police - 14.6%

Norfolk Constabulary - 14.5%

Greater Manchester Police - 14.1%

Cambridgeshire Police - 13.1%

Metropolitan Police Service - 12.5%

Surrey Police - 12.2%

Nottinghamshire Police - 11.6%

British Transport Police - 10.0%

Gloucestershire Constabulary - 9.1%

Dyfed Powys Police - 8.0%

West Midlands Police - 8.0%

Lincolnshire Police - 7.6%

Devon & Cornwall Police - 5.3%

City of London Police - 0.3%

Cleveland Police - 0.0%

 

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