Latest Statement from Jan Berry Chairman, Police Federation of England and Wales:

"The police service remains in dispute with the government who have failed to honour the independent arbitration tribunal's decision to increase police pay by 2.5% from the 1st September 2007."

"I find it more than ironic that the government are now proposing multi-year pay arrangements for public sector workers, when the Police Negotiating Board (Staff and employers) proposed such a settlement 10 weeks ago to prevent the current dispute going to arbitration.

The proposal was flatly rejected by the Home Office. In the absence of access to industrial rights police officers must have confidence that their pay arrangements are fair and transparent and the decision of independent arbitration is binding by all and honoured by all."

"Whilst we acknowledge government's duty to manage the economy and the public sector, a one size fits all approach to public sector pay negotiations would be inherently unfair to police officers whose terms and conditions are different."

"We do not accept the government's economic argument that the suppression of police pay is needed in order to control inflation. Neither does it follow that controlling public sector pay is an important part of inflation control.

Such an assertion has often been repeated by the government and by the Home Office during our pay dispute but we have yet to see any attempt to explain or substantiate it."