Press Release

Police pay message for Home Secretary

03/12/07

The Metropolitan Police Federation is urging Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to ratify – in full and as swiftly as possible – the 2.5 per cent pay increase awarded by the Police Arbitration Tribunal, while at the same time endorsing the comments of Jan Berry, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, who has condemned the award as “a pay cut”.

Officers have been waiting for an increase of any sort since the beginning of September
Jan Berry said: “When you consider the dangers police officers face on a daily basis and the fact that we cannot take industrial action, 2.5 per cent is extremely disappointing.

“However, we entered the arbitration process knowing we would be bound by its decision. We will be closely examining the arbiters’ views and conclusions and considering what future action we need to take.

 “In effect this is a pay cut, which fails to recognise our unique status as Officers of the Crown who cannot strike and have restrictions on our public and private lives.

 “The irony for the 140,000 officers I represent is that we hear this news on the very day the Home Secretary stands up at a police conference and announces so-called improvements to policing by further ring fencing funding exclusively for Community Support Officers; police staff who can take strike action.“