Police Federation response to Prime Minister's speech

Responding to Gordon Brown’s first speech as Prime Minister to the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth today, Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says: 
 
“Many of the promises made by Mr Brown to tackle crime and cut police bureaucracy are to be welcomed. Particularly the introduction of handheld devices to cut down on paperwork and keep police officers on the street; something we have been demanding for years. Whilst dispersal orders to tackle gun crime assist us, the government must not ignore the growing menace of knives which are far more prevalent on our streets and cause more deaths and injuries than firearms. 
 
“The Prime Minister spent over an hour outlining a range of initiatives and services, and making many promises. The only question police officers will now be asking is where is the money coming from to pay for all these initiatives? Is it new money? A fair question to ask at a time when Mr Brown is seeking to cut our pay.”
 

For further information please contact the Police Federation of England and Wales press office on 020 8335 1000.