Evening All

The Police Federation letter to police officers whose task it is to protect the cabinet and other attendees of the Labour conference, asking them to withdraw any goodwill during the conference. (Manchester Evening News).

From Chris Burrows, chairman of the local branch of the Police Federation:

"Please be professional, friendly, and polite when interacting at the conference. Our code of conduct requires this, and as a GMP officer you treat the public in such a manner without being told to do so. Complete disobedience and withdrawal of our support are not options that are open to us.

"However, there is no requirement for you to do things such as participating in photo shoots etc or going beyond your normal duty requirements to assist the Labour Party in the way that you do on a daily basis for the people of Greater Manchester.

Support and respect

"Would you want to smile or pose with a pickpocket who had a hand in your pocket? Goodwill goes a long way and it is quite right that you act in such a manner with the public who deserve our support and respect, but not with those that have abused that right and not reciprocated in any way.

"I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not that same privilege should be extended to this Labour government. You may choose to reserve that support and respect for those who show us the same."

The letter continues: "Those of you working on the Labour Party conference will now have your duties and have received briefings as to your roles. I hope that this large-scale policing operation goes without incident and if it does that will be because of the planning that has taken place and the large numbers of you that are being deployed to protect the Labour Party, not at full cost recovery, I hasten to add.

"We are not a political organisation, but it is important that I remind you that the current government is the one which failed to ratify your pay award for 2007 as recommended by the PAT (Police Arbitration Tribunal) after all parties were represented at arbitration. This was the first signal that the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary are dishonourable people who place no special value on the office of constable.

"They have gone on to move away from an index that has given many years of stability to negotiations and yet again failed to make a reasonable offer in relation to your annual pay rise which was due on September 1.

"As of yet, no date has been set for arbitration so it will be some time before you see that rise, however derisory it may be.

"This week the Home Secretary has publicly announced that she is to impose a pay review body on us to replace our current negotiating bodies. That is even though the constituents of the current bodies do not believe that they need replacing. In announcing the `consultation' period, she has used petty and petulant language referring to the fact that she is doing so because there was a failure to agree a three year pay deal this year.

"She conveniently omits to mention that even though inflation is now rising that the Home Office refused to build into any three-year deal a safety `trigger point' relating to inflation so that a deal could be re-negotiated. That would have left you even further behind in the pay stakes. I would ask you to familiarise yourself with the recent circulations from the Federation. The latest moves by the Home Secretary have led to a renewed call for her resignation by our national leaders. I put all this in front of you to remind you of these facts when dealing with these politicians. Many are good people who are trade unionists and respect negotiating procedures. Unfortunately, the leadership is not."

So let's hope none of Labour's disfunctional politicians and wannabees thinks to even ask a policeman the time.