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Average Police Constable Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A police constable in United Kingdom earns about 57,800 GBP a year. That's 17% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 30,100 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 87,700 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a police constable make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
57,800 GBP
4,816 GBP per month
Lowest reported
30,100 GBP
2,508 GBP per month
Highest reported
87,700 GBP
7,308 GBP per month

A typical police constable working in United Kingdom brings home around 4,816 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 30,100 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 87,700 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior police constable working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the police constable salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How police constable pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all police constables in United Kingdom earn less than 52,300 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 38,100 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 67,500 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of police constables sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 30,100 GBP. The highest stretch to 87,700 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

30,100
Low
52,300
Median
87,700
High
38,100
25th
67,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Police constable pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a police constable in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical police constable salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    35,100 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +27% from previous
    44,500 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +29% from previous
    57,400 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +25% from previous
    71,700 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    75,900 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    81,000 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 29%. That is the point at which a police constable typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Police constable pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving police constable pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average police constable salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    40,000 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +43% from previous
    57,100 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +38% from previous
    78,900 GBP

Police constable gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male police constables in United Kingdom earn an average of 58,600 GBP a year, while female police constables earn around 54,200 GBP. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Police Constable gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 58,600 GBP
Women 54,200 GBP

Pay raises for a police constable in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 13% every 14 months, which works out to roughly 11% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Police constable bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

30%

30% of police constables in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a police constable a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 70% of police constables reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Police constable: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Police constable salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Police constable pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • London
  • Sheffield
  • Birmingham
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Cardiff
  • Glasgow
  • Bristol
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion111,700 GBP107,300 GBP58,600-168,700 GBP
ScotlandRegion74,900 GBP71,700 GBP42,600-116,400 GBP
LondonCity67,900 GBP72,400 GBP30,300-107,700 GBP
SheffieldCity67,600 GBP64,900 GBP34,000-100,700 GBP
BirminghamCity66,900 GBP73,100 GBP30,100-107,300 GBP
LeedsCity64,800 GBP67,800 GBP28,900-103,600 GBP
LiverpoolCity64,500 GBP61,400 GBP34,000-95,400 GBP
CardiffCity64,300 GBP61,400 GBP33,500-96,000 GBP
GlasgowCity64,200 GBP68,800 GBP30,000-102,700 GBP
BristolCity64,200 GBP61,200 GBP35,400-99,700 GBP
LeicesterCity63,800 GBP64,200 GBP32,200-99,700 GBP
EdinburghCity63,200 GBP58,600 GBP32,600-92,500 GBP
SomersetCity63,100 GBP59,000 GBP33,600-94,900 GBP
SwanseaCity62,100 GBP62,100 GBP29,100-93,300 GBP
PeterboroughCity61,400 GBP62,600 GBP30,100-95,100 GBP
NottinghamCity60,900 GBP55,700 GBP33,200-88,300 GBP
PortsmouthCity60,700 GBP64,800 GBP26,500-94,300 GBP
BradfordCity60,500 GBP62,100 GBP26,900-91,600 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity60,400 GBP55,400 GBP32,200-88,600 GBP
ManchesterCity59,900 GBP62,300 GBP30,800-94,300 GBP
CoventryCity59,500 GBP57,400 GBP28,900-90,600 GBP
BrightonCity59,200 GBP59,200 GBP31,300-92,300 GBP
ArmaghCity59,000 GBP59,000 GBP27,300-88,500 GBP
NewcastleCity58,800 GBP58,800 GBP30,800-95,000 GBP
BelfastCity58,700 GBP54,100 GBP30,700-88,000 GBP
PlymouthCity58,700 GBP57,100 GBP30,800-88,600 GBP
DerbyCity58,600 GBP55,500 GBP31,800-88,700 GBP
AberdeenCity58,500 GBP58,500 GBP29,300-92,200 GBP
PooleCity57,800 GBP51,100 GBP31,200-84,600 GBP
NorwichCity57,100 GBP54,200 GBP31,200-88,600 GBP
OxfordCity57,100 GBP61,300 GBP27,300-88,700 GBP
YorkCity57,100 GBP58,400 GBP26,900-90,600 GBP
SouthamptonCity56,400 GBP51,800 GBP29,400-84,800 GBP
ChesterCity55,700 GBP54,900 GBP27,000-85,400 GBP
NewportCity55,400 GBP59,800 GBP23,600-87,700 GBP
WolverhamptonCity55,200 GBP58,800 GBP24,200-89,900 GBP
HartlepoolCity54,700 GBP53,300 GBP29,300-83,100 GBP
GloucesterCity54,700 GBP54,700 GBP28,800-83,100 GBP
StirlingCity54,700 GBP52,600 GBP27,400-81,300 GBP
DerryCity54,100 GBP50,800 GBP27,700-81,300 GBP
DundeeCity54,100 GBP52,600 GBP29,600-83,700 GBP
WalesRegion53,600 GBP53,600 GBP27,000-82,200 GBP
CambridgeCity53,300 GBP49,400 GBP27,200-81,200 GBP
LisburnCity52,800 GBP56,800 GBP23,700-86,400 GBP
TruroCity52,600 GBP53,800 GBP22,400-81,000 GBP
DurhamCity52,300 GBP58,200 GBP26,400-85,500 GBP
ExeterCity52,300 GBP54,100 GBP27,400-84,500 GBP
LincolnCity52,300 GBP54,300 GBP26,100-83,300 GBP
WinchesterCity51,900 GBP50,500 GBP29,600-78,700 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion51,800 GBP53,800 GBP22,400-81,000 GBP
NewryCity51,300 GBP51,100 GBP25,700-81,300 GBP
CanterburyCity51,100 GBP55,400 GBP22,400-80,400 GBP
WakefieldCity50,700 GBP49,700 GBP24,800-77,300 GBP
SalisburyCity50,600 GBP50,600 GBP24,800-79,800 GBP
AbingdonCity50,000 GBP49,000 GBP22,800-76,000 GBP
WellsCity49,700 GBP46,700 GBP26,400-76,000 GBP
RiponCity49,400 GBP51,800 GBP23,400-78,200 GBP
InvernessCity48,500 GBP48,300 GBP23,300-74,300 GBP
KirkwallCity48,500 GBP47,100 GBP23,600-77,000 GBP
BangorCity48,300 GBP48,000 GBP25,700-75,900 GBP
StromnessCity48,200 GBP51,300 GBP23,200-73,800 GBP
St DavidsCity48,000 GBP52,300 GBP23,500-75,900 GBP
StrontianCity47,100 GBP48,300 GBP23,800-74,600 GBP

Police Constable in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a police constable make per month in United Kingdom?

    A police constable in United Kingdom earns about 4,816 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 57,800 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a police constable in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level police constables in United Kingdom start near 30,100 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 87,700 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 38,100 and 67,500 GBP.

  • Is the median police constable salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 52,300 GBP, lower than the average of 57,800 GBP. Half of police constables in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for police constables in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a police constable in United Kingdom earn around 8% more than women on average (58,600 vs 54,200 GBP a year).

  • Do police constables in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 30% of police constables in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do police constables earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a police constable about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do police constables in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A police constable in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 13% every 14 months, equivalent to roughly 11% a year.