What Is The Average Police Officer Salary In The UK?

What Is The Average Police Officer Salary In The UK?
credit: policeapp

If you’re looking to work as a police officer in the UK, you need to check out the best places to work. While the pay may not be as high as in some other places, job satisfaction is high. The best places to work as a police officer in the UK are the Greater London Authority. It also includes the Metropolitan Police Service, the West Midlands Police Service, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. 

Nevertheless, police officer salaries in the UK​ do change with the place. Indicatively, the Metropolitan Police Service in London offers a higher salary to its officers as compared to other officers in the UK. Also, there are numerous advantages to working as a UK police officer. This involves free housing, the police pension scheme, and good working conditions.

What is the average salary of a police officer in the UK?

The salary is good in many places to work as a police officer. You can get the initial police learning and get into this profession. When it comes to finding a job as a police officer, salary is one of the factors to consider. However, not all places are equal when it comes to paying. A police officer’s salary in the UK per month is around  £2250 to  £2800. When it comes to the best places to work as a police officer, London is definitely at the top of the list.

The salaries of the officers are on average £40,000, which is why many officers opt to work in the city. But if you want employment with higher remuneration, you will have to go to the north of England. Salaries in places such as Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds are more than £40,000; excellent news to anyone seeking a well-paying job. Pay is equally good, and the Greater London Authority pays police officers an annual salary of £ 39,000.

If we talk about the Metropolitan Police Service, they are paying officers £37,000 per year. While the West Midlands Police Service pays officers £36,000 per year. If we talk about the Police Service of Northern Ireland, they are paying officers £35,000 per year. Nevertheless, the salaries do vary across the place. As an illustration, the Metropolitan Police Service remunerates its officers in London at a higher rate than the rest of the UK officers.

What are the best places to work as a police officer in terms of career prospects?

It is quite easy to find a great place to work in the UK as a police officer, and there are lots of factors to consider. As the employment market is evolving fast, it is essential to study which fields offer the most promising career advancement.

Whereas it is essential to investigate the regions with the highest opportunities in career development, other aspects need to be considered. Lifestyle factors also need to be considered. As an instance, London is an ideal job site for a police officer due to the good degree of job security. The flourishing culture of the city also counts.

Additionally, the cost of living is also very reasonable. On the other hand, Manchester is a great place to work as a police officer because of the city’s growing tech sector. Additionally, the cost of living is relatively low. Moreover, the city has good job prospects for those with a degree in law enforcement.

Sheffield is another great place to work as a police officer because of its thriving manufacturing sector. Additionally, the city has a good job market for those with a degree in law enforcement.

Cardiff is a great place to work as a police officer because of its scenic location and the city’s growing tourism industry. There is also a good employment market in the city in terms of law enforcement degrees. Belfast is an excellent city to serve the police. Because its tourism industry is expanding, and the good job market includes people with a law enforcement degree.

What are the best places to work as a police officer in terms of working hours?

With the UK having one of the highest crime rates in the world, it’s no wonder that the police force is in high demand. The police officer’s salary in the UK is the highest of all the major Western countries. They offer a police officer’s salary in the UK per hour, ranging from £15 to £16. However, this high salary doesn’t mean that all police officers are well-paid.

The best places to work as a police officer are the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Along with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The PSNI pays an average salary to police officers in the UK​ of £45,683, and the MPS pays its officers an average salary of £46,250.

The worst places to work as a police officer in terms of hours worked are the British Transport Police (BTP). It also includes the London Metropolitan Police Service (LMP). The average pay of the officers in the BTP is £31,500, and that of the LMP is £34,500. When seeking employment as a police officer in the UK, you should do some research about the police force with the highest remuneration.

What is the highest salary for police officers in the UK?

The salary of a police officer in the UK is, on average, different depending on the type of job he/she is undertaking. A newly qualified police officer’s salary in the UK​ is an average of £28,000. In the UK, policemen and women are also capable of receiving a whole lot more money based on the kind of force they are employed with. It involves the Metropolitan Police or the City of London Police. The highest police officer salary in the UK​ is £47,945.

The salary of a police officer depends on their rank and the nature of the police force he/she is employed by. To take an example, a police constable in the police investigation officer earns a salary ​of £26,096 every year. The amount of money is not only determined by the amount of work that needs to be done. It also involves a variety of factors such as location and qualifications, or years of service.

Police community support officer salary UK​

The starting wage, including shift allowance, will be £30,468 for people working full-time (37 hours per week) and following the complete shift pattern. Depending on duration of service and performance-related compensation, the remuneration, including shift allowance, will rise to a maximum of £36,630.

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) will be open to you. The Constabulary, as the employer, also makes contributions to this Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) system.

Depending on your work hours and duration of service, we will provide you with a minimum of 178 hours (24 days) of annual leave as a full-time PCSO, with the possibility of an increase to 222 hours (30 days).

Firearms police officer salary in the UK​

Instead of receiving a distinct firearms wage, a UK firearms police officer, also known as an Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO), receives a salary based on their rank (often Police Constable) and location, experience, and allowances. A starting Police Constable in some forces, for instance, makes over £29,900 as of late 2024; pay rises with experience and years of service.

Forensic police officer salary UK​

Senior forensic scientists in the UK may make over £50,000 annually, while entry-level scientists might anticipate making between £25,000 and £45,000. In criminal and civil investigations, forensic scientists will provide scientific evidence to the prosecution or defense in court. Searching for and reviewing contact trace evidence linked to crimes will be your main focus. This content may consist of:

  • Bodily fluids, including blood
  • Shards of glass, paint, and hair from clothing
  • Tire marks, banned medications, and combustible materials are used to cause fires.

As an expert witness, you might have to appear in court to provide your testimony in person, even though evidence is often provided in writing as a formal statement or report.

Military police officer salary UK​

In the UK, the pay for a Military Police (MP) officer varies depending on rank, experience, and service. The compensation range for a British Army Military Police Officer can range from £33,487 to over £54,810 annually, depending on seniority, whereas a Royal Military Police (RMP) soldier may begin with a total pay of over £34,000 per year following training. Although basic pay is included, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Military Police may earn between £24,000 and £42,000, which is a wider range.

The pay scale for a mounted police officer in the UK is not different from that of regular police officers; rather, it is determined by the officer’s rank and the pay scale of their particular police force. A mounted police officer in the UK​ starts at about £31,000 and increases with years of service, promotions, and experience.  To become a mounted officer, you must first join your police department as a constable, finish your probation, and then apply to specialize in a mounted role. 

Depending on the police force and the particular entrance path, a newly qualified police officer in the UK might anticipate a beginning pay of between £29,907 and £32,820. With some forces giving over £31,497 upon employment in 2025 and greater figures for those who finished their training before 2013, salaries rise with service.

The starting wage for a part-time police officer in the uk​, which was around £29,907 in September 2024, plus possible yearly raises and location-based pay, is the basis for calculating the prorated pay of a part-time police officer. For instance, half of the yearly income would be paid to someone who works 20 hours each week.
Although a police custody officer’s salary in the UK​ varies per force, it typically ranges between £24,000 and £25,000 annually, with unsociable hours and weekend allowances possibly raising the salary to over £36,000 annually. For instance, starting on September 1, 2025, Thames Valley Police will pay a starting wage of about £36,523, including benefits.

Beth Malcolm

Beth Malcolm is Scottish based Journalist at Heriot-Watt University studying French and British Sign Language. She is originally from the north west of England but is living in Edinburgh to complete her studies.