An extraordinary article in the well-read and respected Police Hour has accused the Tories under Cameron and May of causing such hardship that officers can no longer “afford to pay household bills or buy basics such as food”:
The simple and most shocking fact here is that police officers within the UK are so desperate for help because their pay and conditions mean they cannot put food on the table for their families, they are struggling to keep a roof over their head.
The article directly blames the Tories for replacing the so-called Edmund-Davies Pay Review – brought in under Labour in the 1970s to ensure police officers were “rewarded enough for the dangerous job they are doing” – with the so-called Winsor Review which the article says has brought Police Officers back to a state whereby they are “struggling”:
We are back to how it was in the 1970s, which can be linked directly to The Winsor review, which brought in the police pay cap.
This extraordinary intervention in the election by the police comes after it was revealed by a Police Federation Chair that not only nurses but also working police officers are now being issued food vouchers by welfare charities to feed their families:
Read the full extraordinary article here.
Pride's Purge 
Reblogged this on disabledsingleparent.
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Tweeted @melissacade68
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Worrying – the police want to be on a particular political party’s ‘side’? I thought they were about maintaining law and order and protecting the public? Since when do the police say to a government more money or we won’t support you? Remember the miners and the police out there doing Thatcher’s bidding – that was heading in the direction of a police state I think? (Police no longer about upholding law but about carrying out political orders). Absolutely every sympathy about their pay levels and no doubt the Cons hope to privatize the police force once they have run it into the ground. Then we will have a true police state.
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Pingback: Police accuse Tories working officers on food vouchers cannot afford to buy basics or pay household bills - Real Media - The News You Don't See
My late father was a 30-year career police officer with The Met and a life-long Tory voter. That humming sound you can hear is him spinning in his urn with rage at the way today’s Police Officers are being treated … and by a TORY government!
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so whats new ? Typical Tories…..
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the police exist to protect the establishment – it is obvious that no one here has ever had a run in with the motley crew in miltary uniform ‘only doin’ their job’ – any romantic notion that the police protect the public dies centuries ago – so if they are poorly paid at least they are better off than the thousands of people they have shot dead and injured unlawfully over the years!!!
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‘Police Officers On Food Vouchers Due to Low-Pay’
Interesting read – especially considering Hillsborough & Orgreave. I left a response to the tone of this article. Here it is (I would encourage others to do the same):
Police officers should not be on anyone’s ‘side’. They are there to uphold the rule of law. They are not paid mercenaries. When they act as such – as they did under Thatcher – they do not uphold the rule of law (which includes, by definition, impartiality), they break it, and you can, and should, expect future calls for reparative justice.
The real reason Police are underpaid is because of the political philosophy of Austerity.
Economies grow because of ‘debt’ – money borrowed against the future. You can choose to hold this debt with the individual – you – or it can be held by the state.
The state accrues ‘debt’ by investing in infrastructure & services: Transport; Police; Nurses; Doctors; Judges; Housing; Education, etc’. The monies spent by these people grows the economy and the increased taxation this growth provides services the ‘debt’.
Austerity, on the other hand, seeks to diminish ‘debt’ held by the state. This throws the responsibility of economic growth on the individual – you – who naturally tries to diminish their own ‘debt’ by saving or cutting back on spending. A vicious cycle of economic stagnation.
Even Welfare payments are an investment in the economy. 100% of Welfare payments (just like local Police Officers wages) are spent in the local community and service local industries: Corner Shops; Local Garages; Tradespeople, etc’.
When welfare payments are cut to the point people have to use Food Banks, investment in the local economy is affected leading to economic stagnation, job losses, and an increase in crime.
Police Officers should be paid well because it is both fair recompense for a difficult job, and an investment in our economy. Police Officers should uphold the rule of law – including impartiality – because it is in investment in our democracy – in our way of life.
When you vote in this election – and you should – be careful what you vote for, and why.
Anvil.
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Pingback: Police accuse Tories: working officers on food vouchers, cannot afford to buy basics or pay household bills | Worldtruth
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@jazza My son is in the Met and was nearly killed by thieving scum on mopeds who were on their way to a jewellery raid. They drove straight at him and flung him into the air, causing him to land on his head with a nasty injury and being laid off for three months. Laws were made to protect people and while we complain about many of them, life would be pretty dire for the majority of us.
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Nowhere does this state what the lowest wages are that police are on. I didn’t think it was that low?
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From “Police Prospects” :
“The starting salary for police constables in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is between £19,383 and £22,962, rising to £37,254 at the top of the scale – achievable after about seven years. In Scotland it’s slightly higher, starting at £23,493 and rising to £36,885 – achievable after about ten years.”
Just a little higher than the salary for a nurse … and nurses have certainly been using food banks. When you consider the cost of living in a major conurbation – as many police officers must do – it is not surprising that without overtime payments some officers are forced to resort to them too.
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Cant say I like the police in general and agree that its not up to them to decide who runs the country ,but I cant see any reason why they need foodbanks at all on 19k .
That said its a dire situation and has been since thatcher poisoned goverment and blair took full advantage. I cant see anyone except the tories winning and life for all will get harder…Its all about loan repayments now so no one is getting anything till debt is managable .
End of day police are lucky to have a job with a pension,but perhaps also maybe ”we are all in it together” will hit home in a few heads at last .
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I think the point is that the majority of police officers serve in major conurbations, where the cost of living is higher than elsewhere and that it is almost impossible to live and raise a family on the entry-level salary, without regular overtime payments. Yes, they have a job and a pension (what is left of it) and yes there are many worse off than they are. But we expect them to “serve and protect” us, more and more frequently at the risk of their own health, if not their lives. Should we not remunerate them accordingly?
And lastly, yes, I think that our Government is playing with fire in letting this state of affairs continue. If police officers finally do decide that they are “in it” with the rest of us, who will protect the Government from our anger?
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Well Ide hope no one would help the government especially the police ,as this is the whole point …the report is basically saying they will vote may and tory if their pay is raised ,they will happily ‘clout the poor dying and starving that dare speak out’
My say is money is what ? where are humans morals is a better question no ?
I dont doubt for a min that police sometimes have a hard job and they are a welcome sight sometimes,also their pay compared is a joke ,but so are nurses and firemen ,,the key is why are you a nurse fireman or police man or judge for that matter?
Fighting for what is right for all and not for self surley has a touch of ‘do because’ in these jobs .
Law is law and our fine elected treat it as a joke ,so the police should be the peoples first choice of help against such elected imo.
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ps,police person sorry
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Oh,and pps I forgot to end with……’not the other way round’
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Oh, how sad….Poor old plod needing foodbank vouchers?
Maybe if they paid for their ‘training’ like the nurses they’d be even further up sh*t creek, eh? Corporate shills, assisting bailiffs, going against democracy and protecting fracking companies’ interests, nicking people for merely questioning DWP decisions in the dole offices etc, etc, etc – I’ve no sympathy for them.
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“no sympathy” – perhaps not. But the more the Tories refuse to take their claims seriously the more likely they are to switch sides and stop being so quick to defend the agents and agencies of the State against those who protest / demonstrate. Think about it – this could work in favour of those of us seeking change!
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Shouldnt really have to change ,the police are commisioned by the state (ie people) to uphold the law . Not rocket science but if paid the right amount then (like footballers) we may try and kick the ball straight or in this case ‘bend it like becham’
The people shouldnt have to do anything against a governing body that breaks laws the police should take over . Pay is secondary (youde hope) but it obviously isnt according to that journalist.
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Ocklety,
‘Switch sides’?? They swear an oath to uphold the law and serve the people – Not the corporates’ interests.
Six weeks training is all they get (Free). A nurse does 3+ years and they have to pay for their training. Then they go into a £30k p.a. job, whereas a nurse has to graft their way to that over several years.
And today we hear they’re (Plod) not even being properly vetted, ffs. That one what killed Ian Tomlinson in london had several complaints made about, him – was allowed to leave one force and join another without the correct background checks being made on him…
Oh, and they’re alright at shooting unarmed civilians lying through their teeth about it, and getting away with it. (Google ‘Anthony Grainger’) Again, officers failing training measures, lying through their teeth etc, etc…
Although then again, they’ll beat the living bejaysus out of some poor sod for the crime of leaving an alehouse and have them up before the beak on some trumped-up charge, where they & their mates’ll lie about that too, the vindictive bastards.
And when the plod refused to investigate (As they did with with Michael Green/Seb Fox/Grant Shafts…Sorry, Shapps – despite being advised by their own lawyers that what he’d done: ‘May have constituted fraud’) for fear of a (tory) home office reprisal (Led then by may, no less) then they deserve very little, or no sympathy whatsoever.
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Sorry – meant £20k+ p.a. job starting point for plod pay….Still a lot higher (Something like 33% than a nurse’s starting salary)
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Well, as the daughter of a Metropoltian Police Inspector of more than 30 years service (now deceased) you really can’t expect me to agree with your attitude to police officers in general. I agree with much of what you say in principle but as someone who grew up around Police Officers and socialised with them as an adult you will have to accept that my experience has been very different from your own. We must agree to disagree about the frailties of police officers in general as all of those I knew were honest, decent hard-working men and women.
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The honest hard working men and women of the constabulary are the ones we expect as a norm ,so we arnt disagreeing with you ,we are actually agreeing with you .
What I see as being said is when a governing body is corrupt then no one should have sympathy for them ,and the police according to this journalist are basically trying to blackmail a gov into giving them the right to put money above honest and then work for said govs in a ”forget law just do what you want and we will make sure you are protected.”
Hand picking which laws suit you and how you incorperate the law is just about as crooked and crooked as Mr crook the crooked crook from crookford.
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I didn’t read into this piece what you obviously did … I can see that our approaches are from totally different angles, so let’s just leave it at that.
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no problem 🙂
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You didn’t? You must be the only one, then.
“As we enter two years of political uncertainty and head for Brexit Theresa May just like Thatcher in the 1970s will need her officers on her side.”
So, they’ll ‘be on her (May’s) side’ if she bumps their money up, will they?
Poor plod, having to travel miles to work…
“We’d also assume that it is only the new officers joining who are struggling to make ends meet. It is in fact across the scale and the more experienced officers who are being stationed further away from home sometimes many miles means officers have to pay the petrol instead of providing food for the table.”
Yet the DWP expects penniless jobseekers to travel 90 mins in each direction to do a ZHC or NMW job, or else rely on foodbanks – Because their dole will be stopped.
What’s so special about them, that the police should be protected over & above everybody else?
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I have already explained that I have strong familial and friendship connections with the Police Service. As a result, I know quite a bit about the life of a police officer and his/her family. If all you want to do is demonise them, best we drop this discussion as we will never agree. OK?
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I wouldnt say demonize the police ,I would say critising the way the police force is becoming a political tool and not being the police that uphold the law on all levels . The police who do uphold the law on all levels have nothing but respect from me .
The journalist in this and some of my dealings with certain police people leave me in the same mind as toffee ,that they have little sympathy for anyone so in turn none from me, so when so many are so much worse off and the police wont help those worse off against the real culprits ..ie politicians but actually instead help the politicians create foodbanks and the likes in the first place…well what are people who care supposed to think and say ?
Saying this, its only from the way this has come accross via the report and reality of life for some with nothing but foodbanks …on actual police in general I would think the same as you and your family (I hope) that its a hard job that deserves repect and pay …for the honest ones who care about the law and upholding it in a respectable way.
I shall bow out as agreed 🙂
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Well, I’m not gonna bow out. The notion that justifiable criticism is ‘demonisation’ when it comes to the plod is frankly laughable.
You see, I don’t buy the bullshit spouted by the mass media that plod: ‘Put their lives on the line every single day” because they just don’t. Firemen/women are put in far greater peril just as (if not more) often. Yes, we need them – but we need them to operate within the confines of the law. And far too many simply do not. .
Of course, I’m as horrified as anyone else when a copper dies in the line of duty, however, they’re far likelier to die behind their desk, or travelling to/from their work.
And yet not much gets said about the staggering amount of people who’ve died in police custody, or as a result of police violence/negligence. Far greater than the number of police who’ve died on duty over the last two decades.
It’s only too evident that we (Joe public) need protecting from the majority of police, as much as they need protecting from going to foodbanks.
They’re alright shooting unarmed civilians, and tasering blind people…But when they’re having to rely on foodbanks, as many other people do – it’s somehow an effin’ outrage? It’s an outrage these foodbanks exist at all, regardless of who has need of them, nevermind the ‘better-renumerated-than-other-public-servants-who-do-as valuable-a-service’ police
And only the other day, we were told that 90% of the police aren’t even being vetted properly! Small wonder, when far too many within the constabularies are on (paid) sick leave to actually do some vetting…
Public trust in the police has eroded because of the police’s own failings – not (just) the Govt’s.
They are no more a special case than other public servants. Who are they to think themselves somehow more deserving? If they don’t like it, find other work like the rest of us. Plenty of jobs for ex-coppers – straight or bent. The ‘funny handshakers’ look after their own. No wonder they always support the bailiffs & debt collectors when they knock on people’s doors with their fake ‘warrants’ and seize people’s posessions – most of them are ex-plod.
Yep, complaining about having to go to foodbanks themselves when they’re the ones aiding & abetting those who defraud & steal from people, forcing them into penury and foodbank use.
Hypocritical much, plod?
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Again I agree with you but was trying to say that there are actually some decent people in the force and not all are what you and I have obviously witnessed in police behaviour .
Every police person isnt a bad person,but more and more ‘good ones’ (as in most servant jobs) are being replaced by governing body employees to act with the interest of said governing body. This is where corruption starts imo,so the most vocal point by the police on this journalist or report should be ‘how dare you use police and political agenda in the same argument’.
Its not right anyone in this country should need a foodbank full stop ,the police should be at the front of the queue stopping that as its breaking law and code of conduct.
Stripped of all power and purpose and now on mediocre wages ,they should look in the mirror how this turn of events happened and not be saying ‘more money Missy May or you wont have our batons,’ but saying like the rest of decent humans ‘enough is enough’.
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