Sheehy Inquiry Into Police Responsibilities And Rewards

EDM number 2251 in 1992-93, proposed by Michael Shersby on 01/07/1993.

That this House expresses its serious concern about aspects of the Sheehy Report which recommends fundamental and, in some cases, adverse changes in the pay and conditions of service of every serving police officer, particularly those relating to the introduction of short-term contracts and compulsory severance on structural grounds, together with a system of performance related pay for a service built up over 160 years and which would have a profound effect on the professionalism, ethos and sense of vocation which has made the United Kingdom police the finest in the world; believes that the Government's highest priority is to tackle the rise in crime with the total co-operation of a united and dedicated service and considers that this will be very difficult to achieve if the ability of the police staff associations to act effectively on behalf of their members is reduced by imposing financial constraints on their activities, which would change drastically the way in which they work under the arrangements first introduced under the Police Act 1919 creating an agreement between the State and the police which has been to the mutual benefit of both parties and the people; and calls upon the Home Secretary to have regard to these and other concerns before he seeks to introduce legislation in the next session of Parliament.

This motion has been signed by a total of 146 MPs.