Wiltshire police officers face using food parcel scheme

Police officers struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis have been offered a lifeline with a food parcel scheme.

The "Law and Larder" project was set up by the Wiltshire Police Federation following conversations with officers struggling to make ends meet.

The federation is encouraging officers of any rank to apply if they are worried about money.

The parcels will also contain other essentials such as toiletries.

As of 1 September this year, the starting salary for a police officer is between £23,556 and £26,682 depending on qualifications and experience.

Officers and civilian police staff can apply to the scheme using a form on the police federation's website.

Phil Matthews, chair of the federation, said: "I speak with officers regularly about this and with increasing fuel bills heading into the colder months, this won't be getting any easier.

"I would encourage both police officers of any rank, and any civilian colleagues in any department to use this scheme if they need to.

"We are not just here for those involved in conduct, we are here to assist our members in any way we can."

He added that in future, the federation might consider installing larders with supplies for officers and staff at police stations in the county.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "Our police officers do an extraordinary job fighting crime and keeping us safe and it is right that they are fairly rewarded.

"That's why we've increased funding for the policing system by more than £1bn this year, providing up to £16.9bn in 2022/23 and ensured every police officer received a £1,900 uplift to their salary this year which equalled up to a 8.8% increase for those on the lower salary bands."

Correction: An earlier version of this story quoted an incorrect figure for the starting wage of a police officer. We have changed this.

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