Jane's Police Review Letters
Sentinel House
163 Brighton Road
Coulsden
Surrey CR5 2YH

11th January 2008

RE: Minister's regret at backdate decision.

Dear Editor,

So, Mr McNulty has expressed "regret" over the staging of our 2007 pay rise (PR 11/1/08). What utter nonsense. Why would he regret something that was evidently intended from the start? It is clear from leaked memos and letters there was never any intention by the Home Secretary to ratify a pay rise above the government's public sector pay policy to supposedly control inflation.

This shallow, elementary level, economic justification, rejected by the public, MPs and experts alike, is a poor attempt to disguise their real intent of replacing PNB with a pay review body; a pay review body they will then systematically ignore as they have with the others.

Both Mr McNulty and the Home Secretary seem to be of the view that 2007 is now over and that we should all move forward together with "a will and a spirit to move forward and look to the 2008 pay round and beyond….and develop a much more productive way than we have done this time round", presumably to agree a 3 year pay deal. I am left pondering the question - I wonder what the weather is like on their planet?

Have they really forgotten what this is all about - the bad faith negotiations and the complete lack of trust In the Home Secretary? Are they really that stupid or insensitive to believe that a few weasel words will restore that trust? Why should we trust them to honour a 3 year pay deal when they won't honour last year's?

Mr McNulty, Home Secretary, you keep telling yourselves this was all about controlling inflation - eventually you might even convince yourselves.

Yours faithfully

Ian Pointon.