'Blunkett's bobbies' will get payrise backdated - but normal officers won't

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has already decided to stage this year's annual pay rise for police officers.

They were awarded 2.5 per cent by an independent arbitration panel but she decided to delay its implementation, effectively reducing the increase to 1.9 per cent.

However, in a separate deal, most of the 14,000 community support officers, who have solved one crime every six years on average since their introduction by former home secretary David Blunkett, will see their rise backdated.

The move will be seen as a further insult to rank-and-file officers in England after those in Scotland also had their rise backdated to September.

Officers have been so angered by their deal that they have called for Miss Smith to resign.

Union leaders are also balloting over whether to lobby for strike action.

Alan Gordon, vice chairman of the Police Federation, said officers felt "humiliated" by Miss Smith.

"She has shown herself to be dishonourable and has no integrity or respect in the eyes of officers. The sooner she goes, the better."

The pay deal for community support officers was struck by the Police Staff Council, a voluntary body which negotiates for 50,000 staff in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police.

Newly-qualified PCSOs can be trained in just weeks and earn between £16,000 and £18,000, with wages levels decided locally.

In contrast, PCs outside London receive £21,000 when they join the service, and £23,500 after up to two years training.

Critics have accused PCSOs, who are not allowed to make arrests, of being relatively powerless "scarecrows". Some are as young as 16.

They are allowed to join a trade union for pay bargaining and have the right to strike.

Backing rank-and-file officers, Tory home affairs spokesman David Davis said: "This adds insult to injury.

"Not only has the Home Secretary been incompetent and less than straightforward with the police, her claim that restraint was required in the police pay deal has now been completely undermined."

Police Federation leaders believe the Government is using PCSOs to police on the cheap.

Peter Smyth, of the federation, said: "It is a supreme irony that people who have the right to strike get a better pay deal than people who don't.

"We have been singled out as the only people not to receive a 2.5 per cent pay increase because we can't fight back."

Nottinghamshire chief constable Steve Green said Miss Smith should back down.

"There are opportunities for the Government to say, 'We made a mistake here and we need to put it right'."

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said there was no "reasonable reason" why the police pay rise should not be paid in full.

Calling on Miss Smith to honour the deal, he said he believed the Government had "made a mistake".

In a letter to the Home Secretary, the Committee said it was unanimous in viewing the pay commitment as a "question of trust".

The Home Office said: "The Police Staff Council is responsible for setting the pay of police staff including PCSOs.

"The Home Secretary has no statutory role in making that decision."