Pay increase of 2.5% for PSNI officers

Thousands of PSNI officers, from the rank of constable through to chief superintendent, are to receive a pay increase of 2.5%.

The extra money will be backdated to September when there was no minister in place to approve the rise.

The 2019/20 pay award was agreed by the Department of Justice and approved by the Department of Finance on Thursday.

The Justice Minister, Naomi Long welcomed the move: "The award is consistent with the recommendations of the independent Police Remuneration Review Body and recognises the work of police officers in Northern Ireland."

The increase aligns PSNI officers at federated and superintending ranks to the award given to counterparts in England and Wales.

A spokesman for the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said the increase should have come into force from September.

"It will come as some relief that it will finally appear in payslips at the end of the month.

"This is the third year in a row that agreed and approved pay increases have been delayed because of the absence of a minister.

The Federation added: "This 2.5% increase retains core pay spines with colleagues in England and Wales and we are determined to maintain that position once we enter formal discussions."

The Federation will shortly engage with the police pay body on a new round of salary discussions in a bid to secure agreement by June.