Almost 3,000 GMP cops now being paid at least £50k a year

618 MORE OFFICERS REACH FIGURE COMPARED TO NUMBER IN PREVIOUS ACCOUNTS

- JOHN SCHEERHOUT

THE number of cops earning £50,000 or more at Greater Manchester Police has soared, according to the force's latest accounts.

Some 2,957 officers trousered £50,000 or more in the year to April compared to 2,339 the year before, a rise of 618 or 26 per cent.

The rise was even more marked for the force's top earners, those earning more than £100,000. The latest accounts show that 28 police officers or civilian staff earned more than £100k last year, almost double the 15 top earners the year before.

The force's top earner last year was Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who was installed in 2021 to turn around what had been a failing force. He promised to step aside if he failed but he succeeded the force was removed from special measures in 2022.

The upturn credited was to his 'back to basics' policing, including a huge rise in the use to stop search, and arrests and the return of an effective team of traffic cops.

Greater Combined Manchester Authority, which overseas GMP, said the rise in the number of top earners was 'largely' down to pay rises bringing officers into higher pay brackets. A spokesperson blamed a number of unpredictable high-profile operations and insisted most of the wages overspend had been met by the Home Office.