July 24, 2021- 9:15 p.m.
Police anger over a wage freeze could lead to officers forcing a “go-slow” on 999 calls or dropping their guns on VIP duty, their federation leaders have warned.
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents 130,000 regular officers, said last week it had no confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel after refusing to fund an annual pay rise.
The officers have been banned from strike action by law and are furious that other officials, such as firefighters and NHS personnel, have been given raises.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, told The Mail on Sunday: “If you want to keep abusing people, you eventually come off and we’ve got to that point.
“Tell me why the fire service deserves a 1.5 percent raise and the police nothing?
“I’ll tell you the answer right away: it’s because they can strike, they have a union and they have power.
‘We have had six percent’ [pay rise] in 10 years. Six percent. We also have other things in our arsenal.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of armed officers in London looking after every MP. They don’t have to, they aren’t required to carry a gun, they can say they want to go back to the ward tomorrow, goodbye, and hand in their blue ticket. Who protects everything that is protected?’
Mr Marsh added: ‘Who tells an officer to drive a car as fast as possible, risk their lives to get a call?
“They don’t have to do that, they can hit 30mph.
“Who tells a cop they have to come in an hour before they’re supposed to start and normally stay half an hour after that? It’s called goodwill and that’s what we do…
“But everything is on the table now.”
Officers are planning a ‘day of action’ in Whitehall on Tuesday, where they will hand over a petition to Chancellor Rishi Sunak at No. 11.
Labour’s Jacqui Smith was the only other home secretary to face a police-backed vote of no confidence by officers when she refused to retroactively change a pay.
Officers are outraged by other pay increases for other officials like NHS
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents 130,000 regular officers, said last week it had no confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel after refusing to fund an annual pay rise.
An emergency meeting of the Federation’s national council, which includes 43 regional branches, last week “overwhelmingly” backed a vote of no confidence against Ms Patel, saying it will withdraw support from the police reward rating agency, who recommended a zero percent pay increase.
Andy Berry, chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, added: ‘The police service is absolutely dependent on the goodwill of the officers, so if officers decide to follow the regulations and show up for work at the agreed time, rather than of sorting their stuff early, or choosing not to pick up the phone when they’re off duty, that would make it difficult.”
Police officers not allowed to go on strike, but consider returning firearms or slow to respond to 999 calls
They are now considering work-to-rule measures such as bans on overtime, armed officers returning firearms to regular police or patrols driving within the speed limit to answer emergency calls.
