Specialist firearms officers may refuse to carry weapons, jeopardising counter-terrorism operations and leaving ministers without armed protection, as part of a series of wildcat protests against the Home Secretary’s decision to slash the annual police pay award.

Anger is rising in the ranks over Jacqui Smith’s announcement that officers would not receive the 2.5 per cent rise agreed by independent arbitrators. Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, said that the Home Secretary had “broken the trust of the police service” by refusing to backdate the pay award. The 140,000 members are to be balloted next month over whether they want a change in the law allowing them the right to strike.

More militant elements are discussing unofficial action, ranging from a mass “phone-in sick” day to a refusal to guard prisoners in police cells. Senior officers and two chief constables have spoken out publicly against Ms Smith’s decision.

Ms Smith said last week that she would accept the 2.5 per cent pay rise recommended by the Police Arbitration Tribunal but would not backdate it to September 1, when it was due. She said it would be paid from December 1, saving the Government £30 million and cutting the pay rise to 1.9 per cent.

The Scottish Executive decided to pay officers in Scotland the full 2.5 per cent, so police officers in the Prime Minister’s Scottish constituency will get a bigger pay rise than the constable who stands guard on the doorstep of No 10. Officers, who are barred by the Police Act 1996 from taking action, have been expressing their anger in calls and e-mails to union leaders and in internet debates. One group has been discussing the impact of firearms officers handing in their permits to carry weapons. “The firearms ticket is one idea — certainly if every authorised firearms officer (AFO) in Greater Manchester Police did it, the most obvious repercussion is that Manchester Airport would be forced to close,” one officer said.

Firearms teams in the Metropolitan Police threatened similar action in 2005 when two colleagues faced the possibility of criminal charges over a shooting incident. Scotland Yard had to draw up contingency plans with the Army to have an armed response available in London.

One officer said: “AFOs are in a unique situation where they cannot be forced to carry [their guns] and could hand in their permits. If AFOs did hand them in, there would be huge repercussions.”

Ms Berry said that the Police Federation would not authorise any unofficial action such as mass “sick days”. “I recognise the anger but I could not condone any such actions,” she said.

“Police officers have to be careful. All they can do is express their anger. We entered into a negotiation process and trusted that people would honour it, but we have been let down. The fact that the Government is not prepared to honour the decision of the arbitration tribunal is what people are most angry about.”

About 800 federation officers, from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, will attend a meeting in London on Wednesday. Ms Berry said: “We will ask officers if they want access to full industrial rights or a binding arbitration system. I don’t know how many police officers want to go on strike, but I know they do want a mechanism they can trust.”

Dr Tim Brain, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire and chairman of the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association, has forecast a return to the demoralisation of the 1970s before the pay formula was agreed. He said: “There is no justification for not backdating the settlement to September 1. Police officers will inevitably feel that they have been treated very badly.”

Short-changed

3.9% What officers wanted
2.3% What employers offered
2.5% What arbitration agreed
1.9% What the Home Office will pay

Source: Police Federation/Home Office

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