Smith is as arrogant as Brown, the police have been singled out because they cannot strike. The new pension rules that Smith talks of, are simply the adoption of new pension laws that apply to all since 2006, not a special deal for police. What pay rise did MPs give themselves in the end?

Duncan Carter, Preston, England

It is interesting to see how blithely the Labour Party ignores the votes of police officers, who are, after all, a bellweather of political opinion in every constituency.

The Labour Party will regret this at the next election, even if the Tories fail to offer a viable alternative.

Daniel, London, Uk

Get real: to buy a pension for a 45 years old policeman retiring after 25 years service actual costs around 65% of salary. Try a trip into the real world of redundancies, no superan, working until 65 and no sickness pension because you are feeling a little stressed.

john, Trier,

Another Labour minister soon to be cleaning out her desk. As failed ministers can't be recycled (except Blunkett), helps explain the 2nd eleven quality of talent available to Brown. Most decidedly out of their league.

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

The local plods round here are just robocops who rarely leave their vehicles. I'm not quite sure what they actually get paid for. They are next to useless if you need them.

Paul, Coventry,

For most of the day I have felt that the arbitration decision should be honoured, but the news of a boy being arrested because of an innocuous poster at an anti-scientology demonstration reminded me of how stupid the police have lately become. I now feel a pay cut would be more appropriate.

Peter, Cambridge,

I happened to watch Jan Berry's speech. It was certainly no rant but a carefully constructed and exquisitly delivered condemnation of Labour policy.

DickW, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The tax component that pays for the police should be taken out of general taxation and out of local government taxation .
There should be a separate component that people can contribute to voluntarily. That way the people that scream for more
police can pay for them.Earnings will reflect contributio

Douglas Maxwell, Richmond, Yorkshire

Will the self rightous and opinionated take note.......

The police are directed by the laws of the land and the Govt
They do not make it up as they go along!

The police pay for and contribute 11%+ of their salary to their pensions plus tax & NI
The tax payer does not pay for their pensions

Shaun, Newcastle, Tyneside

Hasn't the Police Federation remembered the support Jacqui Smith and Ken Livingstone gave Sir Ian Blair? This must have certainly cost Ken.

Chris, Birmingham,

The police need to be judged by performance... more cost effective..ie..solving and preventing more crime using less staff and money...at the moment that is not the case..end of argument..no more pay
the source of the problem is education,lack of discipline and economic growth at any cost

mike, london,

Police pay must be given to cop,because they are servant for common people.

cristiano, Wuhan , China

The simple fact is that the police are being punished by what is left of the left wing of this morally bankrupt government. The socialist movement, which 'new' labour still claims to be a part of will never forgive the police for the part they played in the trades union disputes of the 80's.

p thomas, swansea, wales

Have the commentators on Police pay had a look at the pay of our Servicemen and women? No overtime payments at all, required when necessary to work literally till they drop or the job is done whichever comes first,no shifts for them. Away from their families for months on end.,open your eyes///

cliff, southampton, england

Reading the Home Secretary's remarks, I hadn't realised that police pay was responsible for inflation. I thought it was high fuel (petrol, gas, electric) and rising food costs.
And the advice that we need to spend ourselves out of a possible recession recently, won't be possible if not paid enough

Keith Lawson, Poole, UK

I thought that taking cannabis as a student was part of the curriculum - the 'holier than thou' approach by a policewoman somehow rings hollow.

Double teachers' pay and fight crime through giving children a future!

Connor, London,

I do feel for the police plight as I feel they have been betrayed by the government on their pay.They are under payed,undervalued and it is about time to treat them fairly,They are overworked,stressed and are putting their life on the line everyday the go to work.

Dr Alla Farhan, Purley, UK

"The need to keep mortgages and the cost of living under control"

The current situation with inflation and the housing market would suggest it didn't work.

Oh and Amy in North Yorks, I think you'll find PCSOs were the government's idea, not the police's

Alex, London,

Weak Home Secretary, Crime rampant and all Labour can do is pass more laws and undermine them with guidelines whilst stopping the enforcers from carrying out their work. PCSO are a laughing stock!

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

The amount the taxpayer is called upon to contribute to the very generous police pension fund has risen threefold since labour came to power whereas the emplyees contribution has gone from 5 to, in the case of new entrants, 6% and they can retire after 25 yrs. Very good compared to private sector!

A.Williams, Cradley Heath,

"Humiliating a politician, who holds the cards, in public and in this manner is always counterproductive", Not when all the cards are about to be seized from her hands and scattered on the table for all to see. One has to go back to Henry Brooke to find a Home Secretary so unsuited to the job.

Chris Gillibrand, Brussels , Belgium

Rubbish it is about time this Govt switched to receive rather than transmit, it would have been so much easier to have been polite to a Home Secretary with barely any credibility.

£2.7bn sweetener is being borrowed only to lose the bi-election, this Govt gets more farcical by the day.

Nigel, swindon, UK

She was well and truly taken to task...
And the only pitiful reply she had was that tired old line
'We have to be mindful of inflation and the pressures brought about by pay increases above certain levels'
Does she not realise that Labour well and truly lost the war
on inflation a long time ago.

Andy C, Warwickshire,

I feel for the police plight, they are not treated fairly,they are undervalued and underpaid .Every time they go to work,they are putting their life at risk to keep us safe ,and without them we will be living in a mayhem.
The government must treat the police fairly.

Dr Alla Farhan, Purley, UK

Ms Berry has been an extraordinary and tireless advocate on behalf of the police, good luck to her

Uche George, London, Englad

Why such a strong language from Jan Barry? Against a Govt.off
could this have been said 90years ago?

Cllr Ken Tiwari (Independent), Oxford, United Kingdom

Why do the police think they deserve a pay rise anyway?
They've been spending money on ineffective Community Support Officers...do I feel any safer? is there any less crime on the news?

Amy, North Yorkshire,

Humiliating a politician, who holds the cards, in public and in this manner is always counterproductive. I'm afraid the brave Police men and women will continue to bear the loss for this rant by Mrs Berry... unless Jacqui Smith thinks ahead and acts for the General Election in two years' time.

Jimmy C, Letchworth Garden City, UK