KENT POLICE FEDERATION

MEDIA RELEASE

COPS' FURY OVER "SLAP IN THE FACE" PAY RISE

Kent's police officers are furious at the Government's attempts to impose a pay rise well below the rate of inflation. Pay talks have broken down with an offer of 2.325% being rejected; the Home Office want to stage this increase reducing its value even further. This is in line with the recommendations on police pay put forward by Sir Clive Booth (a government stalwart) earlier this year.

Ian Pointon, Chairman of Kent Police Federation, said,

"This offer is an insult not just to police officers in Kent but to every police officer in the country. At a time when we are fighting the greatest terrorist threat ever and officers having played a crucial role saving life and protecting property in the recent floods, it is a massive slap in the face to be offered such a derisory pay rise, a rise that is in real terms a pay cut. A fight for fair pay is not a fight we should be facing at this time."

Last year the government broke away from a 28 year old transparent agreement which ensured fair pay for police officers, took full account of their unique status and provided harmonious industrial relations.

Mr Pointon continued,

"Police officers have a unique role in society; they cannot strike or take any form of industrial action; they are accountable for their actions both on and off duty; they cannot belong to a trade union or take an active part in politics; they are subject to massive restrictions on both their professional and private lives. It is imperative that police officers' pay is linked to an annual index that is fair, transparent and takes account of our unique status. If the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, thinks that she can bully us into accepting this pittance of a rise coupled with an unfair annual index then she has gravely underestimated the steel and determination of police officers. We will not be bullied."

In June this year, whilst addressing the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, said,

"There is no greater responsibility than that which you as police officers accept. And there is no greater obligation for us in government than to support you in discharging that duty."

Mr Pointon concluded,

"There are growing numbers of police officers who are calling for the right to strike simply because they see the current pay offer as an exploitation of that inability to take industrial action. They see a government that has behaved dishonourably during the pay negotiations; I use the term negotiations lightly as the government hasn't negotiated but rather stuck to the findings of its own very partial review by Sir Clive Booth. If the Prime Minister truly believes what he said to ACPO in June, and they are not just weasel words, then he should ensure his government lives up to them and provide a fair pay rise for police officers linked to a fair index that recognises rather than takes advantage of police officers' unique status and role."

MEDIA RELEASE ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITOR

• Police officers across Kent are writing to their MPs and there is a 10 Downing Street e-petition asking the Prime Minister to stop the Home Office interfering in the negotiations over police pay.

• On 24th July an Early Day Motion (EDM) was tabled in Parliament. The EDM reads:

  EDM 1986 24/7/07

  FAIR PAY FOR POLICE OFFICERS

  That this House recognises the bravery and hard work of the police and commends police officers for adapting to meet the diverse challenges asked of them, from the fight against crime and the implementation of community policing to the fight against terrorism and dealing with natural emergencies such as the floods affecting large parts of the United Kingdom; and calls upon the Home Office to recognise the unique role of the Office of Constable and ensure that UK police officers are given a fair pay settlement from 1st September 2007 which reflects the daily dangers they face, the fact that they are accountable for their actions both on duty and off duty and are prohibited from taking industrial action.

• A report released today by the Home Affairs Select Committee on 19th July found that the real time investment given to police had not produced the results expected. The report criticised senior managers in policing for poor resource allocation.

• Since 1979 police pay has been up-rated in line with an index linked to pay rates for the preceding 12 months.

• The method of increasing police pay on an annual basis by application of an earning index was to ensure police officers pay did not fall behind that of other groups of workers as had previously meant low retention rates and difficulty recruiting officers.

• The (Police Negotiating Board) PNB was set up by statute in 1980 for the purpose of negotiation police pay and conditions. It is independently chaired with its own secretariat. Two sides make up PNB; Staff Side represents police officers up to and including chief officers and the Official Side represents the employers; government, the Association of Police Authorities and Association of Chief Police Officers.