Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has come under fire from the Police Federation over plans to slash more than £30 million from wage increases.

The Police Federation, which represents the 140,000 police officers in England and Wales, accused the Home Secretary of betraying officers by not offering them a competitive pay rise in line with inflation.

A leaked memo from Miss Smith to Chancellor Alistair Darling is believed to have asked him to back her decision not to backdate a wage increase from September, effectively cutting the pay rise from 2.5 per cent to 1.9 per cent.

Chairman of West Yorkshire Police Authority Tom McGhie said: "The Home Secretary has shown her contempt for police officers if the leaked memo is to be believed.

"There is a lot of concern and anger about this. I am not happy about it and I think it is disgusting."

The Police Federation has warned that police officers might seek the right to strike as it is a criminal offence for police to take industrial action.

Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "This is a cheap shot by a Home Office, not fit for purpose, seeking to remedy their own financial mismanagement by penalising police officers to the tune of £30.5 million; money that is rightly theirs, money they've worked hard for."

A recent review of police pay by Sir Clive Booth cited a Committee of Inquiry which argued: "It is essential that the police should not suffer in pay because they are deprived of the right to strike, and that it should be put beyond doubt that they are being paid fairly."

  • West Yorkshire Police Authority's Human Resources Committee is tomorrow discussing a proposal by Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison to get more officers on the beat.

Committee chairman Trevor Lake said: "One of the most important things that police authorities do is to ensure that policing is delivered in an effective and efficient way, and that means achieving value for money."

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