“If police officers are so wonderful, why attack our pay?”

PROPOSALS from Chief Officers and the Home Office to scrap a number of police officer Bank Holidays and the overnight allowance are hugely damaging to police morale.

That’s the view of Mark Smith (pictured), Chairman of Essex Police Federation. He said: “They speak with forked tongues – one day they’re saying what a brilliant job police officers do… and the next day they’re attacking their terms and conditions of service.”

He added: “I’m disappointed that they want to continue to attack police officers, those police officers that they keep saying are wonderful.”

In their submissions to the Police Pay Review Body (PRRB), as well as calling for a 1% pay rise, chief officers in England and Wales have recommended scrapping the away from home allowance and all Bank Holidays – apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Police officers are currently paid at double time for working Bank Holidays and from £50 to £80 for working away from home, depending on conditions.

“The areas that we’re talking about have all been through reform and looked at by Winsor in his pay reviews,” said Mr Smith “Why are we looking at it again? Why do they continue to erode Police Regulations, when we have no comeback, no redress over what they’re doing to us?

“Police officers are treated and paid for and guided by the Police Regulations and the Government shouldn’t’ be able to change those on a whim – especially when they’ve only just been looked at.”

Mr Smith compared the position of chiefs on Bank Holidays and the overnight allowance to their recent stance on all wanting to introduce compulsory severance – which they backed away from.

He added: “It’s like compulsory severance. The Chiefs’ council we’re talking about standing together, even if a certain Chief didn’t agree with it, they wanted to stand together because another one might need to use it.

“It would be nice if Chief Officers would actually stand up, look after their own within the force that they work for, and actually look after their own officers. I wouldn’t mind betting there are individuals that don’t agree with taking away Bank Holidays.”

Mr Smith also supported the national Federation in their request for a 2.8% police officer pay rise.

“I think we should be asking for more, we deserve more,” added Mr Smith. “Pay has been going up in the private sector, but we’re behind them”.