Police threaten mass protests in battle over pay

A formal letter has been sent to the Prime Minister from the officers' union, the Police Federation.

It warns that unless he produces an "olive branch", the beginning of next year will be punctuated with public protests against Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and a mass London rally.

The letter, also targeted at Sir Gus O'Donnell, head of the Civil Service, was mailed following the leaking of a memo from a senior adviser to Miss Smith saying that police are paid enough already.

The memo by Stephen Kershaw, director of Police Reform and Resources, claimed £50million of anti-terror funding could be at risk if police wages are not controlled.

Written in June this year, it said: "There is no real business case for a generous pay rise for the police this year.

"We should not take too seriously the Fed's loose talk of demanding the right to strike if we press on."

It says police constables are 36 per cent better paid than ten years ago, and there are six applications for every job.

In her letter to Mr Brown, Police Federation president Jan Berry warned that apart from the London rally, an open meeting of police officers - which would attract huge negative publicity - will be held in Miss Smith's Redditch constituency.

A scheduled ballot over rallying for the right to strike will also go ahead.

Mrs Berry said: "We need to get a solution. It will rumble on unless we take some action to stop it.

"There is a level of incompetence. There is arrogance in the Home Office that they do not need to understand the police.

"They thought it would just be a few hotheads in the Police Federation.

"They had no understanding or awareness that politicians, the public, chief officers down to constables and police authorities are all upset at what they are doing."

She warned of an increase in officers quitting the force early as the pay row saps morale.

The federation is also concerned that recruitment to the ranks could be hit.

Mrs Berry said: "The Government talks of queues of people waiting to join the police service.

"What they do not talk about is the calibre of these people, and if they are suitable."

The row stems from a decision by Miss Smith to stage this year's annual pay rise.

Police officers were awarded 2.5 per cent by an independent arbitration panel, but ministers decided to delay its implementation, reducing the increase to 1.9 per cent.

Federation officials also have concerns about the Government's decision to limit increases to the budget for overall police pay to 1.5 per cent each year for the next three years.

The decision does not necessarily mean pay rises will be limited to 1.5 per cent, but the federation says it shows a lack of flexibility in Whitehall. If inflation increases, it could lead to police salaries being left behind.

A Home Office spokesman said ministers face "difficult choices" over spending.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "This is the first government in 28 years not to abide by the arbitration process.

"No matter what the financial pressures are, there is no excuse for the Government being anything other than honest and straightforward with the police force."