Today, the London
Assembly agreed a motion calling on the
central government to fully fund a pay raise for the police which
was awarded from September 2017. It also calls on the Government
to fully fund the 2018/19 pay rise.
AM, who
proposed the motion said:
“Last year was an incredibly demanding year for Met Police and we
saw officers invariably respond with extraordinary dedication and
bravery to protect Londoners.
“Day in, day out, officers go the extra mile to keep us safe-
whether on the frontline, responding to emergencies, or
investigating crimes.
“Whilst we hear warm words from politicians about how much they
value the police, it is rare that any significant action is
actually taken. Instead, police officers have been left to face a
real-terms pay cut in recent years.
“This is clearly unacceptable, and I am sure everyone would agree
that our police force deserves to be properly paid for their
efforts. However, the Met Police continues to face deep and
sustained Government cuts to its budget, so it urgently needs
extra funds to implement this.
“This is why I have raised this motion to urge the Mayor to lobby
the Government to cover the costs of a pay rise for Met
officers.”
The full text of the motion is:
“2017 was one of the most challenging years for policing in
London as the city was struck by four terrorist attacks, the fire
at Grenfell Tower and a rise in serious crime. This Assembly
praises the dedication and bravery of police officers, special
constables and PCSOs who keep Londoners safe.
“The Assembly notes that the Home Office awarded police officers
an additional 1% non-consolidated pay rise in September 2017, in
addition to a 1% consolidated pay rise.
“However, the Government did not provide any additional money to
MOPAC or the Metropolitan Police Service to fund this pay rise
but insisted that the money come from existing police budgets.
“In December, the Home Secretary wrote to the Police Remuneration
Review Body, asking it to conduct the annual review of police pay
for 2018/19. The Assembly notes that the MPS is calling for the
consolidation of the non-consolidated 1% plus a further 2% pay
rise; and that police staff associations have called for a 3.4%
pay rise.
“This Assembly calls on the Mayor to write to the Government
asking that it fully fund the cost of the September 2017 pay rise
and the cost of any pay rise announced in the 2018/19 police pay
awards to give the MPS the confidence to fairly remunerate police
officers for their outstanding work keeping London safe, without
the need to compromise other parts of the Service.”
