Fifth of police officers surveyed in South East plan to quit in two years

A survey found that 80% of Kent Police officers were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" over pay

Nearly one in five police officers in the South East plan to quit within the next two years amid pay and cost of living concerns, research suggests.

A Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) survey found that 80% of Kent Police officers were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" over their pay.

For Sussex Police and Surrey Police, the figure rose to 83%.

The Home Office said: "We are injecting record funds into policing".

Of the 4,014 officers who responded to the annual pay and morale survey across the three forces, 18.6% said they planned to resign as soon as possible or within the next two years.

In Kent and Sussex, the top reasons were morale, pay and how the police are treated by the government.

In Surrey, officers also cited the impact of their job on family and personal life.

'Breaking point'

PFEW said officers across the UK have faced a real-terms pay cut of more than 20% since 2010, rising to 30% for officers on the lowest pay levels.

PFEW chairman Steve Hartshorn said officers were "reaching breaking point" and "leaving the service in their droves".

"Record numbers are resigning over inadequate pay and conditions," he said.

"We are losing some exceptional officers simply because they cannot afford to stay in the service, with an alarming number unable to afford monthly essentials."

He added: "The results of our survey clearly illustrate the anger and disillusionment of police officers across England and Wales.

"Being able to protect the public effectively rests on a knife edge."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Policing is a career like no other and we need officers to keep communities safe and cut crime.

"We are injecting record funds into policing and giving officers the support, training and powers they need to crack down on crime."

The Home Office said the government remains on track to deliver its pledge to recruit 20,000 police officers by March.