Defence Police Federation leaders met MPs at Parliament this week to update them on the issues affecting MoD officers, with pay parity and cuts in posts still high on the agenda.
DPF General Secretary Mitch Batt and Chairman Eamon Keating had been due to discuss the review of the Modernising Defence Programme which was supposed to take place before Parliamentâs summer recess.
However, the recent Brexit debates have pushed it further down the Parliamentary pecking order.
Despite the delay Mitch says the meeting – with eight MPs who have championed the DPFâs cause from the start – was very worthwhile.
âThere has been a lot going on in Government at the moment and the review of the Modernising Defence Program has been put back,â he said.
âBut it was a really useful meeting with the likes of Stewart McDonald (SNP) Gerald Jones (Shadow Defence Minister) Louise Haigh (Shadow Police Minister), Holly Lynch and Menzies Campbell â all of whom have been incredibly understanding of the issues we are raising.â
Those issues include the threat of losing another 160 posts in the force, pay and bonus parity and the retirement age for DPF members.
âStewart McDonald and Gerald Jones said they would look at raising questions in the house on our behalf so itâs very positive, the more you engage with them the more they will support and help,â Mitch said.
He added that he and Eamon are expecting an email update about the review of the program, which the DPF says âbrushes overâ security issues, in the next few days.
âThatâs what weâve been told,â he said. âItâs likely that it will say all the findings arenât in yet, but weâre still working hard on it.â
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson may also be calling for a rise in defence spending as part of the review, from 1.7% of GDP to 3%
âThe rise might help us,â Mitch added, âhopefully security might be part of any spending, and it wonât all go on a new aircraft carrier that we as the DPF wonât have the resources to protect.â
