The Police Federation of England and Wales has said it no longer has confidence in the UK Government’s Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The Federation said that the officers it represents “overwhelmingly support” the statement, which comes after a pay freeze for officers which they described as “the final straw”.
Officers in England and Wales earning more than £24,000 are to face a pay freeze, while those earning less are set to get an annual £250 pay rise. The same policy is to also apply to teachers.
In a statement on Thursday, the Police Federation said:
“We often hear the home secretary praise police officers but our members are so angry with this government.
“They have been on the frontline of this pandemic for 18 months and will now see other public services given pay increases while they receive nothing.
“At the beginning of this pandemic they endured PPE shortages and were not even prioritised for the vaccination.
“They continue to be politicised and this pay announcement is the final straw.”
On Wednesday, a 3% pay rise was announced for NHS staff, though junior doctors in England have been excluded from this. NHS staff, many of whom have worked on the frontline throughout the pandemic, have expressed upset about the payrise only being 3% and unions have described it as ‘inadequate’.
The Police Federation of England and Wales have said that officers have suffered an 18% pay cut in real terms over the last decade, and have warned that officers will feel undervalued. Teaching unions have also criticised the lack of pay rise for many of their members.
Appreciation was shown for key workers during claps and other events towards the start of the coronavirus pandemic – many are angry that this has not been followed up with significant pay increases for frontline staff.
The Government has said that the pay freeze for police officers will help to ensure fairness between public and private sector wage growth – though Labour have called the measures ‘completely unacceptable’.
