MP support for police

Mike Penning supports police officers in the current pay negotiations with Government.

Hemel MP, Mike Penning, has thrown his support behind the police in their pay row with the Government.

Mike said:

“I can only agree with police officers that they have been treated dishonourably by the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. They behaved very properly in agreeing to abide by the decision of the Independent Police Arbitration Tribunal – whatever it recommended. Now the Government has reneged on the agreement. What is the point of the Independent Police Arbitration Tribunal if the Government refuses to accept its recommendations?”

Mike, who joined local police officers on the beat for an evening shift recently, said: ”This is no way to treat the police of this country. Our police are stretched to the limit and at the same time are being strangled by red tape and bureaucracy - all this against a background of rising violent crime nationally. They deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. This Government has failed to do that and it is no surprise the Police Federation has passed a vote of no confidence in the Home Secretary.”

Mike added,

“2006 was the first time in 28 years that the Government didn’t honour the agreement – a time period which includes the 18 years of the last Conservative Government. Some of those years included times of tough financial constraints too, but the Conservatives always made police pay a high priority.”