THE Police Federation of England & Wales (PFEW) has filed an application for judicial review and called for a truly independent pay mechanism for police officer pay, which South Yorkshire Police Federation says will \u201cshine a light\u201d on the pay crisis.<\/p>\n
PFEW filed the application alongside the Chief Police Officers\u2019 Staff Association (CPOSA) and the Police Superintendents\u2019 Association (PSA) last month.<\/p>\n
A PFEW spokesperson said: \u201cAs police officers, we are not being unreasonable in asking for a pay mechanism that acts independently. As public servants, MPs are happy to accept the recommendation of their own independent pay body as binding, all we ask is that they do the same with ours, or perhaps extend the remit of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
PFEW is currently running a #PayOurPolice campaign, highlighting 10 years of pay freezes and below-inflation pay rises that mean police officer pay has fallen in real terms by 20% behind the cost of living.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cThe judicial review is very welcome and I think it will shine a light on things \u2013 it\u2019s positive news and we have to rally behind that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut obviously a lot is going to depend on what we get offered this year. I certainly thought last year was the final straw, but maybe this year will be the final straw if we get another bad payment. We\u2019ve got to think about more formal action on this now.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy view is that if we don\u2019t get properly recognised in pay, we are going to have to change our tactics and possibly stop worrying about the public\u2019s perception. We\u2019re going to actually start worrying about what our members want us to do going forward; we may need to take a different tack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe judicial review shows a good statement of intent, but it might not be enough for members. We need to put a foot on the accelerator if we aren\u2019t paid properly this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n