Let the police have it....!

A final thought or two on the stand-off between police and Government-

Just about the only other group not able to use industrial, that is trade union, muscle is the armed forces. They are underpaid, overlooked and taken for granted. It is true that in peace time they have a fairly pleasant life style, with plenty of travel, sport, etc. In war time, and we seem to have been at war of one sort or another for the past 10 years, they daily risk their lives in a way in which the police do not for something like half the pay of the police.

In terms of risk, then, the police are not badly paid, with a starting wage in excess of that of nurses and firefighters. They have generous pension arrangements, and because the pensions are public sector pensions there is little chance of company failure and pension loss. Nor is their job becoming more demanding. The Taxpayers Alliance has calculated that in every 7 hours on duty, 6 hours are spent safely within the police station, on meal breaks and administration. If they are called to a dangerous situation, we have observed, they do a full risk analysis before they embark.

On various grounds, then, it would be difficult to recommend a large increase in pay for the police. But we are not talking about a large increase here, but 2.5%, that is just above the Government's preferred inflation measure but well below the real rate of inflation. Furthermore, the dispute is being treated by the Government as the first settlement in the 2008 pay round, and therefore setting the going rate. In reality it is the last settlement of the 2007 pay round, having been considerably delayed by discussions and then the arbitration process. The award ought to be compared with those of other public sector workers during the year.

Normally, full back-dating is accepted when an agreement is reached. In this case none is being given. This is a major departure, and the main reason for the police grievance. Although arbitration is binding on police but not on Government, the latter have certainly acted in bad faith in deserting the usual arrangement.

It would be regrettable if the police or armed forces had unions and bargaining rights over pay, or that they became even more politically involved than they are now. It is difficult to see the Government conceding such bargaining rights. In the end the only recourse for individual constables or soldiers is to vote with their feet, - to leave and not be replaced. (The army is struggling to recruit, and resignations and "AWOL" have been high.) For a comparatively small figure, £40m has been mentioned, and only £200 per year for individuals, the Government is irsking the goodwill of the police. They may come to regret it.