Inconsistent COP26 Payments Were ‘Farcical’

THERE should have been a consistent remuneration agreement for officers working at COP26, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Some forces gave their officers extra bonus payments for working overtime, but other officers missed out, which Federation Chair Steve Kent said was “farcical”.

Steve said: “A lot of the cops at COP26 seemed to have a relatively positive experience. But there were some appalling examples of accommodation, totally substandard accommodation which our officers reported back, which is unacceptable.

“I suppose it was a successful operation, I’m certainly not criticising that. A lot of officers were saying it was well organised.

“But for me, there’s two aspects of it that I wasn’t happy with. First, and this is not our force’s fault at all, but South Yorkshire Police and every force across the country was left scraping to get by when the officers were attached up there.

“And second, the lack of one consistent approach to the pay and remuneration for officers at COP26. There was a farcical situation where you’ve got officers standing next to each other who are being paid differently.

“The idea that we cannot get a uniform approach and agreement to payment, it has to stop. It has to change. Because it may stop the people who are so willing and happy to volunteer in the future doing so and putting themselves forward. And who can blame them?

“We’ve now got a good opportunity to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in summer 2022, to get together a uniform agreement from NPCC, from the Federation, from Government, saying: ‘This is how we’re going to pay our officers across the board’.”