Police officers (sergeant and below): average salary and pay in the UK
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) puts median weekly pay for full-time police officers (sergeant and below) at £938.70 in April 2025; no reliable annual figure is published.
What the figures show
Median full-time pay: women £23.11 an hour, men £23.66 an hour.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 298,000 employee jobs, 97% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 16.0%, from £809.40, slower than the 25.7% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 198,400 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £645.70 | £15.92 | £630.50 | £15.92 |
| 20th percentile | £689.30 | £16.87 | £678.20 | £16.90 |
| 25th percentile | £723.30 | £17.71 | £709.20 | £17.77 |
| 30th percentile | £768.00 | £18.81 | £751.50 | £18.85 |
| 40th percentile | £916.20 | £22.68 | £886.60 | £22.75 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £938.70 | £23.25 | £931.80 | £23.27 |
| 60th percentile | £982.70 | £24.22 | £979.60 | £24.18 |
| 70th percentile | £1,037.70 | £25.36 | £1,034.30 | £25.34 |
| 75th percentile | £1,067.90 | £25.89 | £1,062.70 | £25.88 |
| 80th percentile | £1,125.20 | £26.43 | £1,120.80 | £26.43 |
| 90th percentile | £1,268.70 | £28.51 | £1,262.80 | £28.59 |
| Mean | £944.10 | £22.73 | £932.70 | £22.78 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £42,184 | £809.40 | £20.24 | £41,723 | £809.40 | 249 |
| 2022 revised | £44,307 | £822.80 | £20.24 | £44,037 | £820.50 | 318 |
| 2023 revised | £44,785 | £840.80 | £20.83 | £44,328 | £833.70 | 218 |
| 2024 revised | £46,917 | £896.60 | £22.38 | £46,457 | £887.60 | 288 |
| 2025 provisional | – | £938.70 | £23.25 | – | £931.80 | 298 |
Police officers (sergeant and below) by region
UK: 198,400 (± 17,300), April 2025 to March 2026. 3 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 32,600* | ± 7,100 |
| East of England | 28,900* | ± 7,300 |
| Scotland | 22,900* | ± 5,500 |
| North West | 21,600* | ± 5,600 |
| West Midlands | 18,200* | ± 5,600 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 17,700* | ± 4,900 |
| South West | 12,800* | ± 4,100 |
| East Midlands | 12,600* | ± 4,700 |
| Wales | 8,300* | ± 2,600 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What police officers (sergeant and below) do
Police officers (sergeant and below) co-ordinate and undertake the investigation of crimes, patrol public areas, arrest offenders and suspects and enforce law and order. Officers of the British Transport Police operate within the specialised police service for the railway network across britain. (ONS SOC 2020, 3312)
Also covers: detective (police service), police constable, police officer, sergeant, transport police officer, cadet (police), detective constable, detective sergeant, force armourer, military police, neighbourhood officer, police detective, police sergeant, traffic officer, uniformed officer, warrant officer, community beat manager and family liaison officer (23 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Receives instructions from senior officers and patrols an assigned area on foot, horseback, motorcycle, motor car or boat to check security and enforce regulations
- Directs and controls traffic or crowds at demonstrations and large public events
- Investigates complaints, crimes, accidents, any suspicious activities or other incidents
- Interviews suspects, takes statements from witnesses and stops, searches and/or arrests suspects
- Attends accidents
- Prepares briefs or reports for senior officers
There are no academic requirements for entry to the civilian (Home Office) police although eligibility criteria vary across individual police forces. Entrants must sit an entry test and pass a medical examination. All police officers undergo a two year probationary training period. Residency, nationality and age restrictions apply, and background security checks are carried out in respect of entrants. Entrants may join via the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).
Related
Protective service occupations · Fire service officers (watch manager and below) · Prison service officers (below principal officer) · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026