Proposals which would award some south Essex police officers a pay rise of more than £2,500 have been drawn up by union chiefs.

Talks of a new pay deal came about after it was announced officers working in London, who joined after 1994, would get an extra £6,000.

The decision prompted a number of Essex officers to join the Metropolitan Police Force.

To compensate, the Police Negotiation Board suggested that Basildon, Harlow and Thurrock division officers would receive £2,000, Southend, Rayleigh, Chelmsford, Braintree and Stansted Airport police would get £1,000 which left Colchester and Tendring with nothing.

However, the Police Federation said a pay band would split the force and instead called for a flat rate of £2,500 to be given to every post-1994 officer in the county.

Negotiators from the federation are now asking for the next meeting of the board to be brought forward from February for urgent talks.

David Jones, chairman of the Federation in Essex, said: "It is all about retaining the officers we have in Essex and not having them gravitate off into London. We believe these new proposals have a chance of doing that."

Mr Jones said the Federation felt the issue required the formation of a special committee to discuss proposals prior to the New Year.

He said: "Only last week I got a letter signed by more than 20 officers who all said they rejected the deal. They felt so strongly about this that they all sat down and put pen to paper.

"Each of them said the plan was unworkable and divisive and want us to fight it. This is from a group who would stand to benefit from the official proposals."

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