Brunstrom's anger over police pay

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One of the UK's most high-profile chief constables has entered the row over police pay by describing ministers' behaviour as a "kick in the teeth".

Richard Brunstrom, the head of North Wales Police, said the UK Government was being "shabby and dishonourable".

In his blog he attacked ministers' refusal to backdate a 2.5% rise in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the decision was "in the national interest" and to keep inflation down.

Mr Brunstrom regularly attracts headlines for his campaigning against speeding drivers, and his support for the legalisation of drugs on the grounds that the war against narcotics cannot be won.

He has now accused the government of showing that it failed to value police officers.

The Government does not really value the men and women of the police service despite many fine words to the contrary North Wales Police chief constable Richard Brunstrom

Mr Brunstrom, a policeman for 28 years, wrote on the North Wales Police website: "No one joins the police to get rich, but we have received the necessary fair deal from every government for over a quarter of a century. Until now.

"This year (wasteful and bureaucratic annual negotiations are now needed again, for the first time in a generation) arbitration was required once more but the Home Office, for the first time ever, has refused to honour the outcome.

"I say 'honour' because this truly is a matter of honour, not just money.

"The government's refusal to accept the result of independent arbitration (even though it is binding on us) is legal, but it is a shabby and dishonourable act.

"There is a clear message for us here - the government does not really value the men and women of the police service despite many fine words to the contrary, and is no longer a partner to be trusted in negotiations."

'Stable growth'

He added: "But the discovery that our ministers' fine words are hollow, that they do not really care about us, is a bitter pill.

"A real kick in the teeth, made all the more hurtful by the decision of the devolved Scottish government to meet the arbitration settlement in full - a novel situation which deserves a better explanation than it has so far received.

"Does the UK Government really believe that officers in England and Wales are worth less than their Scottish colleagues and if so, why?"

North Wales' assistant chief constable Ian Shannon joined the criticism in his blog by writing: "This act has caused officers to feel under-valued in a way that I have not seen in more than 26 years of police service."

More than 160 MPs have urged ministers to rethink the decision to stagger the police pay award.

The Police Federation, representing rank and file officers, has called for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to resign and is to ballot its members over whether they want the right to strike.

The 2.5% pay deal was decided through the independent Police Arbitration Tribunal and will see all police constables paid a minimum of £21,500, with those with the longest service receiving £33,800.

But officers say if it is introduced this month and not backdated to September, an entry level police constable will lose £131, and a sergeant will lose £206.

The prime minister has argued that his policy has delivered a decade of "consistent stable growth" and he was determined to deliver the same over the next 10 years.

Mr Brown told MPs police pay had risen by 39% over the past 10 years and that Scotland had only been able to backdate its pay rise by putting plans to recruit 500 new officers on hold.

A Home Office spokesman said there was no provision which allowed forces to implement the pay award above the level determined by the home secretary.