Police protest over Blunkett's reforms

Police officers are planning to demonstrate against Home Secretary David Blunkett's sweeping reforms.

Fred Broughton, national chairman of the Police Federation - which represents 125,000 officers below the rank of superintendent - is furious with the Home Office. In announcing the creation of thousands of community police support wardens, it has portrayed officers as "an inefficient band of malingerers".

Today 80 Federation leaders will meet in London to plan protests across the country. This will include a mass rally at Wembley Arena.

The Home Secretary's planned reforms include recruiting the new wardens - who could carry batons and CS gas sprays - to patrol the streets with police - as well as removing outdated working practises and cutting overtime pay and allowances.

Mr Broughton accused the Home Office of a "welter of media briefings" seeking to portray police as malingerers.

He told a police magazine published at the weekend: "This is no way to go about modernising the police; no way to motivate officers whose morale has already suffered from lack of political support.

"Modernisation cannot be an excuse for cutting the pay package of any officer. If we feel that officers are not receiving fair and reasonable treatment, we shall not hesitate to take our case to a wider audience."

Mr Blunkett aims to reach an agreement by the end of the year on changes to overtime pay, the abolition of some allowances and a reform of shift working.

His plans to reduce overtime rates from time and a third an hour to basic overtime rates and to extend the working week from 40 hours to 42 without extra pay have infuriated officers.

Although the Home Office insists it is still in negotiation with police over reforms, a spokeswoman said: "The Government believes the case for reform is overwhelming and has the support of the public."

Today shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin sided with the federation. He said: "If the Police Federation feels the need to demonstrate then something has gone very wrong in the consultation between the Home Office and police officers."

He said that the creation of new wardens was worrying because "police constables have special training and we must not blur the distinction between them and other people who do not have these special characteristics".