he Police Federation England and Wales say they are no longer right Minister of the Interior After calling the freeze on officers’ salaries, which was strongly opposed, the “last straw.”
Pritty Patel Police officers with confirmed income of more than £24,000 will be hit by the freeze. Those with lower incomes will increase by £250 a year.
The agency representing ordinary officials stated that the compensation system was “unfit for purpose” because it announced plans to withdraw support for the compensation review agency.
National President of the Police Federation John Apter Said: “We often hear the Secretary of the Interior praise the police, but our members are very angry about it government They have been working on the front lines of this pandemic for 18 months, and now they will get other public services with a raise, and they have got nothing.
“At the beginning of this pandemic, they endured a shortage of personal protective equipment and did not even prioritize vaccination.
“They continue to be politicized, and this salary announcement is the last straw.
“As an organization representing more than 130,000 police officers, I can say very clearly-we have no confidence in the current Secretary of the Interior. I cannot look directly at my colleagues and do nothing.”
Ms. Patel announced the freeze on wages in a written ministerial statement on Wednesday. She said: “This is to ensure fairness between public and private sector wage increases, as the private sector is severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. , Reduced wages. Hours, suppressed income growth and increased layoffs, and the public sector is largely immune to these effects.”
Mr. Apt said that the Police Pay Review Agency (PRRB) is “not truly independent” and “its hands have been bound by the continuously intervening government”, adding: “We can no longer accept this and we have no confidence in this system. Why? We have to go away.”
The federation said it had “done its best” to cooperate with the government, but warned: “They cannot be trusted or seen as face value in the way we expected.”
The National Police Chiefs Committee (NPCC) stated that the government’s decision will make many police officers feel “underrated” and “a pill that is hard to swallow.”
NPCC Chairman Martin Hewitt said: “As the government makes spending decisions in the coming months, we urge ministers to provide funds for meaningful and fair pay increases starting in 2022 to correctly reflect the important and complex work done by the police. .”
Humberside police chief Lee Freeman called the situation “completely unsatisfactory” in a Twitter post.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow home secretary, stated that the Labour Party “fully supported” the federal decision and claimed that Ms. Patel “seriously failed the police, who had done so bravely for us throughout the pandemic. National Service”.
He added: “Zero wages are totally unacceptable-this is an actual pay cut that exposes the hypocrisy of the Conservative government. It praises the police with enthusiasm and refuses to take action to support it.”
Mr. Thomas Symonds said he had written to Ms. Patel, telling her that her position was “untenable” and accused her of “a series of critical mistakes.”
The Ministry of the Interior said: “The Minister of the Interior has repeatedly expressed her commitment to support the brave police to protect our safety and give them the resources and powers they need to fight crime and protect the public.
“We are recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, of which 8,771 are already in place, increasing taxpayers’ policing funds by up to 600 million pounds, and providing troops with 200 million pounds to cover the unforeseen costs of the pandemic. In addition to strengthening the police In addition to the protection of the police, the penalty for attacking the police and the investment in equipment are increased.
“The economy has been severely affected by the pandemic, and public finances are under pressure. We must protect employment and ensure fairness.”
Workers working for the National Crime Agency are also facing wage freezes.
