Nearly one in six police officers are planning to leave the Kent force within the next two years, a report published today by the Police Federation shows.

Many of the officers questioned said they were looking to leave "as soon as possible."

The federation, which represents the police rank and file, surveyed more than 1,600 officers in the county in 2022 asking a number of questions on pay and morale.

Their findings make bleak reading for the newly appointed Kent Chief Constable Tim Smith.

The federation found 80% of the county's officers were dissatisfied with their pay levels, with 80% saying they were worse off today than five years ago.

It also revealed 85% of officers believed morale in their force to be 'low' or 'very low', while there was almost universal agreement (91%) that the way that the police were treated by the government was having a negative impact.

These and other factors led to 15% of officers declaring they would leave within the next 24 months.

Other clues to the low morale came from responses to questions on their working hours, with two-thirds feeling their workload was too high, and with 62% saying that they were 'rarely' or 'never' able to take their statutory breaks.

The verbal abuse and physical attacks they experienced in the course of their duties were also a factor.

Some 36% said they had to put up with regular verbal abuse, while 9% said they experienced some form of physical attack at least once a week.

For 16% of officers that had resulted in their requiring medical attention at least once in the past 12 months because of work-related violence, while another 11% needed medical treatment for a work-related accidental injury.

The levels of attacks and injuries had remained broadly comparable to the figures recorded in a similar survey carried out by the Police Federation the year before, although injuries from accidents had fallen.

All the other measures showed a year-on-year decline in satisfaction and morale.

Kent's statistics were broadly similar to those found across all the nation's police forces.

In a summary report, the Police Federation concluded: "Overall, satisfaction and morale in the police is low and most respondents are unhappy with their current pay.

"There is a sense among the majority of respondents that they are not respected by the government nor the public with engagement generally low across the board."

The report continued: "The majority of respondents felt that the workload was too high and many reported feeling that staffing levels were not where they should be."

It said: "Mental health and wellbeing is a significant issue and almost all of those who experience stress, low mood, anxiety or other difficulties identified work as a factor making it worse."

It said: "The results from this survey clearly evidence the difficult and potentially harmful conditions in which officers go to work in each day."

In response, the Deputy Chief Constable for Kent, Peter Ayling, said: "Our police officers do a brilliant job day-in and day-out serving and protecting the people of Kent in situations that are often dangerous and challenging.

"They deserve to be looked after and paid well as a result.

"When almost half of our officers take the time to describe the pressures they are currently facing, it is very important that we listen and respond."

Mr Ayling said: "That is why we will continue to work closely with the Kent Police Federation to understand the issues currently facing our officers, and why we are determined to do more in the future to ensure they have manageable workloads and feel better supported to maintain the outstanding service they provide to the public.

"While police pay is set nationally, we acknowledge that some officers are struggling with their finances like many other people during the cost of living crisis.

"That is why with the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the South East Allowance paid to officers in Kent increased from £2,500 to £3,000 in September last year.

"We also recognise that we have a duty as employers to help manage the impact everyday police work can have on officers’ mental health and wellbeing, which includes providing them with self-help tools to access when they need them as well as pro-actively supporting those who have dealt with particularly traumatic incidents.

"We remain committed to doing everything we can to retain those officers who may be considering a transfer to another force or exiting the profession altogether, which is why we launched our Keep it Kent campaign in August 2022 to strengthen pre-existing services such as supporting officers with their career progression and providing confidential advice and support on money matters including bills, budgeting and debt."