‘It beggars belief!’ Met Police vote to strike after being told to ‘come to office three days a week’

Civilian staff at the Metropolitan Police have voted in favour of strike action after being told to come into the office for three days-a-week.

Just over 50 per cent of Scotland Yard’s 2,400 Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members backed industrial action, sparking a divide with the force’s bobbies on the beat.

The Metropolitan Police employs around 11,000 civilian staff who enjoy generous hybrid working arrangements.

Some members of staff, including 999 call handlers and child protection officers, only need to enter the office as little as twice a week.

Police bosses have recently asked desk staff to increase the amount of time they spend in the office, in order to better-support front-line workers.

Each department will see their increase go up by 20 per cent from the new year.

The PCS union – which represents almost 200,000 civil servants across Whitehall – said that asking staff to come into the office was outrageous.

Fran Heathcote, the PCS general secretary, said: “Our members are not bobbies on the beat. They are desk-based civilians who work from home just as productively as if they were in the office but without the stress and cost of a daily commute.

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“It’s time politicians and the Right-wing media stopped their obsession with telling people where they have to work and started listening to the evidence of academics, employers and employees that shows working from home is a perfectly viable option for many people.”

However, a senior Scotland Yard source voiced dismay about the situation given the working environment experienced by the force’s police officers.

“We have got officers risking their lives on the streets every day so it beggars belief that some staff are not willing to come into the office three days a week,” the insider told The Telegraph.

The ballot for strike action opened on November 6 and concluded today.

Prior to the announcement of industrial action, the Met Police said: “Our purpose is to serve London, putting communities and victims at the heart of everything we do.

“Police staff are critical to this mission and we will succeed only by connecting better with the public and our colleagues.

“If strike action goes ahead we have contingencies in place to ensure we can continue to keep London safe.”

Last week, it was revealed that Civil Service attendance has fallen since Labour won power, with 13 different Government departments recording a drop in employees stationed at their desks.