KENT Police Federation has called Government plans for three-year pay deals for public sector workers "mind boggling".

Gordon Brown has announced that he wants pay rises for public sector workers, including police officers, to be set for three years instead of deciding pay awards annually.

Rises would not be more than around two per cent, to correspond with the rate of inflation, but the body representing the county’s police officers said the Home Office could not be trusted to stick to the deals.

Ian Pointon, Chairman of Kent Police Federation said the Government had previously rejected proposals by the Police Negotiating Board to introduce multi-year pay deals, but were now calling for them.

He said: “It is mind boggling. I ask myself, is this further evidence of the bad faith they have displayed in the negotiating process or are they completely incompetent?

"It begs the question do they know what they are doing?”

Police forces across the country, including Kent, are still negotiating with the Home Office over its controversial decision not to back date an agreed 2.5 per cent pay rise to September, making it equivalent to 1.9 per cent.

Mr Pointon added: “In reality, I don’t think officers will trust the Government to honour a three year pay deal when they won’t honour last year’s – would you?

“If the Government is serious about pay deals, then it needs to restore some trust with police officers.

“They must stick to binding arbitration; they must stick to the deal.”