A 5.4 per cent pay rise for the Police Service of Northern Ireland would be “fair and reasonable” the federation chairman has said.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland’s (PFNI) submission to the police pay review body is based on the Treasury’s 3.4 per cent RPI forecast and the two per cent pay rise awarded to their colleagues in England and Wales.

Last year British officers were awarded a one per cent consolidated and one per cent non-consolidated pay rise.

But a pay award for PSNI has been delayed by the collapse of the devolved government over a controversial green energy scheme and the 13-month political stalemate.

PFNI has been calling for the Department of Justice to sign off a pay rise in the interim.

PFNI chairman Mark Lindsay said: “All we seek is a fair, reasonable and balanced increase to reflect the demanding job our members do, day and daily.

“The failure to get last year’s increase has left a bad taste in our mouths, and we will continue to convey the very strong sense of disadvantage that officers feel.

“In particular, the failure to implement last year’s pay agreement is unacceptable and should not be permitted to continue. Without a remedy, the process is in real danger of losing all credibility.

“Police Officers in Northern Ireland deserve to be treated on an equitable basis with colleagues in England and Wales. Expecting to pay one per cent out of Chief Constable reserves, which don’t exist, is the sticking point. Unlike his counterparts in England and Wales, our Chief Constable is not empowered to carry forward any efficiency savings into the next financial year, which means he has no ‘reserves’. 

“We are not looking for anything exceptional or over the odds. There has to be a realisation that our people deserve better. We have been patient over the failure locally to implement the deal that was struck, and what we now want to see is a determination to fix all outstanding issues.”

The next stage in the pay discussions is the delivery of oral evidence in April with a conclusion in June and implementation in September.

Other elements of the claim include increases in the on-call allowance; the Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance (NITA); the Dog Handlers’ Allowance and the Competence Related Threshold Payment (CRTP).