Police officers across Britain are expected to support a move to seek the right to strike.

The Police Federation will publish results of a ballot at their annual conference in Bournemouth, which asked whether officers would like to have rights of industrial action following their bitter dispute over pay.

The decision to poll officers followed a mass police rally in central London in January.

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More than 20,000 officers attended the rally after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who will address the conference tomorrow, decided to introduce a pay rise of 2.5 per cent in stages.

Officers across the UK were asked whether they should have the right to strike and other industrial action if the Government failed to agree with the pay arbitration deals.

It is believed that most officers voted in favour of the move with some areas reporting a massive 90 per cent in favour.

The police are currently banned from going on strike or taking other action - and it is actually a criminal offence for them to do so.