POLICE FEDERATION SAY TORY GOVT “SHAMEFUL” COMPARED TO SNP
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has praised the Scottish National Party (SNP) The Scottish Government’s support for police officers in Scotland, who are set to receive an immediate 6.5% pay increase, backdated to 01 September.
In a damning intervention, the Chair of the PFEW has said the “shameful” UK government has shown “contempt for those who put their lives on the line for the public,” which he says is in stark contrast to the SNP’s support for officers in Scotland.
The federation branded the UK Tory Government’s 2% pay increase for officers in England and Wales in July as “derisory,” pointing out that 1% of that rise had been paid the previous year, and the remainder only amounted a 0.85% increase after inflation.
Patricia Gibson MP said:
“While the Tories in England are presiding over the lowest number of police officers recorded since the early 1980s, with a decrease of 20,038 (14.1%), there are 963 (6%) more in Scotland under the SNP and we are giving officers the biggest pay rise in 20 years.
“It’s embarrassing that the Brexit obsessed Tories are telling Scots to focus on the issues that matter the most to people as they categorically fail to manage crime and justice south of the border.
“Scotland has more officers than at any time during the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat administration, with a higher police to population ratio than the rest of the UK.
“Over a decade of SNP Government, we have made huge progress tackling crime on our streets, but we want to do even more. That’s why our Programme for Government has committed a major package of reforms to the justice system, introducing a new support system for victims, witnesses and families of those affected by crime as well as for engagement between victims and offenders to benefit victims and prevent reoffending.”
Police Federation press release: Scots pay rise ‘salt in wounds’ for other UK officers
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP responds to Theresa May's rhetoric about the SNP:
https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1045379023445118976
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