WORRYING statistics have found that a large majority of Dorset Police officers do not currently feel “respected” by the government.

The chair of the Dorset Police Federation described a recent pay and morale report as a “sad reflection of the state of policing”, in which it was also found nearly half of officers worry about their finances every day.

New figures from the Police Federation of England and Wales reported more than three quarters of Dorset respondents felt they were financially worse off than five years ago and 11 per cent reported never or almost never having enough money to cover basic essentials.

Federation chair James Dimmack commented: “It is a sad reflection of the state of policing that such an overwhelming majority of officers feel they are not supported by the government.

“The fact that nearly half of officers feel financially vulnerable is a significant concern. Officers everyday are exposed to a myriad of challenging and dangerous situations as part of their everyday jobs. Having undertaken this public service they should not then be facing the challenge of balancing the books in order to survive at home.”

A statistic which states 86 per cent of Dorset officers believe morale in the county is low was described as “perhaps the most concerning statistic” by Mr Dimmack. He added: “We are forever being asked to do more with less. That being the case it is not surprising this startling percentage is apparent. What I can say is that, despite this, Dorset officers continue to make things work and are committed to serving the people. This is clearly being done however with low morale and with a lack of appreciation from the government.”

Last year, police officers across England and Wales were given a zero per cent pay rise. The report also found that 69 per cent of Dorset officers would not recommend joining the police.