ALMOST 1,000 police officers left Greater Manchester in the early hours today to join a demonstration in London over their `unfair' pay deal.

Just after 4.30am several of 18 coaches hired for the trip left from outside the Old Trafford football ground.

Scores more left from meeting points across Greater Manchester or travelled by train to meet with 38 coach-loads of officers from the West Midlands before travelling to the capital to meet with 17,800 colleagues from across the country.

The officers were there to march through the streets, hand petitions to the government and lobby MPs.

The event was organised by the Police Federation - the body which represents the interests of police officers. Members are furious that after agreeing to go to arbitration to negotiate a pay deal, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith refused to abide by the recommendation of a 2.5 per cent wage rise backdated to September.

While agreeing to the rise she said it would not be backdated reducing it in effect to 1.9 per cent, which means officers will lose out by an average of about £200 a year.

But Chris Burrows, chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, says it isn't the £200 which has prompted the action, but the principle behind the government's refusal to abide by the arbitration process.

He said the decision by officers to march was not taken lightly. He said: "All the officers have taken time off work. Some have taken annual leave, some have come after a night shift.

"This is about the future of pay negotiations. We asked for more than 2.5 per cent but said we would be bound by the arbitration process. If the government had told us they had no intention of abiding by it, they would have saved a lot of time."

Mr Burrows, who joined a delegation of Federation reps who went to London yesterday to lobby MPs in advance of the march, said he had been given a positive response. He said: "The Lib Dems told us they don't agree with how we have been treated. Today we will be lobbying the Labour group, many of who have given us a very positive response."

Police are forbidden by law from taking industrial action. But officers are so angry about the pay dispute a ballot of Federation members is to be held in February to ask if they would like the right to strike. The situation has been aggravated by the fact police staff have been granted the full award and teachers were recently given a 2.45 per cent award.

One of those joining the protest is dog handler Neil Gilmore, 45, who has been in the police for 16 years. He said: "People have been killed and are injured on a daily basis doing their job to protect the people of this country. We deserve to be paid fairly for what we do."

As well as handing in petitions to Downing Street and the Home Office some officers stopped at the National Police Memorial to lay wreaths in memory of fallen colleagues.

The protesting officers have won the support of Rochdale's Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen.

He said: "The government's attitude is ridiculous when the money for the pay rise is budgeted for and sitting in Greater Manchester Police's bank account waiting to be spent.

Mr Rowen is planning to attend the rally along with the party leader Nick Clegg.

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