Police officers have voted overwhelmingly for the right to strike.
Members of the Police Federation voted by 86% to 11% in favour of the body, which represents rank and file officers, pushing for a change in the law to allow them to take industrial action.
Officers are furious that the government ignored the recommendations of an independent pay arbitration body and offered them only a 1.9% pay rise last year.
The results of the poll were announced yesterday as the Federation kicked off its annual conference in Bournemouth.
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Federation chairman Jan Berry said officers would much prefer binding arbitration rather than the right to strike.
But she added: “This is a wake-up call for the government. They must listen to what the police officers of England and Wales are telling them.”
