The Police Federation's senior members have called for the immediate resignation of the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, after a vote of no confidence at an emergency meeting in central London to discuss police pay. Detention plan flawed, concedes Smith Bobbies on beat for less than one hour in seven Ministers pressure Brown over police pay deal The officers, enraged by what they describe as a "disgusting" pay deal, also intend to hold a series of meetings with ordinary, rank-and-file police, and are even considering the possibility of going on strike - which police officers are forbidden by law to do. One delegate, DI Brian Stockham of the Sussex Police Federation, said: "We have reached a zenith where anything could happen. "As a long serving officer I never thought I would be saying 'do we want to be talking about the right to strike' but it is not an empty threat. "Officers feel abhorrent about what has happened in the last two years over pay. They feel disgusted." Constable Cath Hollands, Chair of the Wiltshire Police Federation, said: "The mood in the conference is very, very positive. We have had a lot of support coming from chief officers and superintendents. advertisement "I think it is being encouraged that this time we should not take it lying down. The option to strike has been bandied about and we need to keep the momentum going. "It is more than likely that there will be a resolution to have a series of mass meetings. "Police officers are so fired up they need to channel their energy in a mass meeting. "There is also talk about a ballot of members to see whether they want us to explore the avenues of changing the law so that police officers can strike." Gordon Brown has come under pressure from within his Government to back down over the issue. Ministers are said to be deeply unhappy with a decision not to backdate a 2.5 per cent award for officers in England and Wales. Ten have passed their concerns on to the Home Office. The issue is becoming the latest test of Mr Brown's authority after a period of drift and uncertainty for Labour that has seen the party plummet in the polls. They say the Government should have honoured the pay award - agreed after arbitration - in full to recognise that the police are forbidden from taking industrial action. Labour MPs are at a loss over why the Government has decided to pick a fight with the police when the party is vulnerable after a succession of scandals and setbacks. Keith Vaz, a former Labour minister and the committee's chairman, said it had caused ''anger and frustration" among the police. He claimed he had been told by at least 10 ministers that the decision to stage the award was wrong. They had passed on their concerns to the Home Secretary, he said. "They are all very concerned," Mr Vaz added. "I hope Jacqui got the message today that it is something that ought to be looked at again." Mr Vaz has tabled a Commons motion calling on the Home Secretary to implement the pay award in full and described the savings made by staging the award as "petty and needless". Miss Smith told the committee: "I don't underestimate their concern about this pay award but I don't believe, from my experience of police officers, that they want to take the right to strike."
Police on foot patrol
Police officers and officials at an emergency meeting have voted to ballot every United Kingdom police officer over the right to strike. They also called for the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to resign over the current dispute and further passed a vote of no confidence in the home secretary's ability to deal with pay and conditions.

Under current UK law, it is illegal for police officers to stage walk outs as part of protests or disputes, however some members of the force want to strike over the pay package dispute and thus are lobbying for the right to strike to be allowed once again. This has also been supported by a petition, started by Keith Vaz, chair of the home affairs select committee, which has been signed by 78 MPs.

This comes after the decision by the UK government not to backdate a 2.5% pay rise to September 2007, leading to a loss of income, from £130 - £264. However the government says that this is necessary to control inflation in the UK.