Pay deal 'cheats' police officers

Chief Constable Michael Fuller has spoken in support of his officers

Police officers feel "cheated" by a decision not to backdate their pay rise by three months, Kent's Chief Constable Michael Fuller has said.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said a 2.5% police pay award in England and Wales would go back to 1 December, and not 1 September when it was originally due.

But Chief Constable Fuller said: "It has had an enormous impact on officers' morale. They feel deeply aggrieved."

The Police Federation has threatened legal action over the decision.

It added that the December implementation date would represent a pay increase of 1.9% in real terms, but Ms Smith said that would keep it in line with the government's target for inflation.

They feel... the dangers that they face haven't been recognised Chief Constable Mike Fuller

The Kent force had a total of 3,664 officers at the end of March.

Chief Constable Fuller said: "I know how strongly my officers feel about this.

"They quite rightly believed that the increase would be backdated, which is normal practice, and they feel cheated.

"They feel undervalued, that a lot of the good work they do hasn't been recognised and the dangers that they face haven't been recognised."

The police pay deal for England, Wales and Northern Ireland went through an arbitration process before the 2.5% figure was arrived at.

Chief Constable Fuller said: "In previous pay disputes there was an accepted principle that any finally-agreed pay increase would be backdated to the date the increase was due.

"The recent decision would appear to abandon this principle."

Police officers in Scotland are having their 2.5% pay rise backdated to 1 September, as was recommended by the Police Arbitration Tribunal.