40 coaches to join police pay demo

Around 1,700 West Midlands Police officers will descend on London this week to protest against the Government's "betrayal" over pay.

More than 40 coaches will transport the bobbies to the capital, where they will join up to 15,000 colleagues from across England and Wales, including more than 300 from Staffordshire Police. Wednesday's march in Westminster has been organised by the Police Federation, which has accused Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of betraying officers and called for her resignation.

The Federation, which represents 140,000 officers, is furious that a 2.5 per cent pay award announced last year is not being backdated to September.

They say that by only backdating the deal to December 1, the deal is worth just 1.9 per cent – below the Government's two per cent blanket pay policy for public sector workers.

Officers say the move means an entry-level police constable will lose £131 and a sergeant £206.

Pc Paul Tonks, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said the officers on the march would be off-duty and not in uniform.

He said: "Police officers feel extremely vexed at the manner in which they have been so shabbily treated by the Home Secretary.

"For West Midlands Police Federation to have to hire 42 coaches for the event evidences the depth of feeling towards the Home Secretary," he added.

The Staffordshire branch of the Police Federation has seven coaches on standby to take members to the capital.

Branch chairman Mark Judson said about 330 officers had signed up to go on their rest day so it would not impact on policing in Staffordshire on the day.

Speaking at an event in Wolverhampton last month, the Home Secretary rejected suggestions that she had betrayed officers.

She said: "I welcome the hard work being done here in the West Midlands by police officers.

"This year's pay award was done in a context of public sector pay where everybody had to play their part in ensuring we're also able to keep inflation down."