THE Government faced open rebellion last night from rankand- file officers over plans for the most radical shake-up of police pay and conditions for more than 30 years.

A review by former rail regulator Tom Winsor, which includes annual fitness tests for officers, was met with outrage by the Police Federation who described it as a “disgraceful”

attack on the service.

Police officers repeatedly failing the proposed fitness tests risk being docked nearly £3,000 or, in extreme cases, sacked for unsatisfactory performance.

He also signalled the end of a job for life in the service as he called for a ban on chief constables making officers redundant to be lifted, while the pension age would be increased to 60, in line with Lord Hutton’s recommendations.

According to the review, the starting salary for police constables should be cut from £23,500 to £19,000 for someone with no police-related experience, he said, while pay should be linked to skills and performance, rather than based on length of service.

Last night, Steve Matthews, who is chairman of the Cleveland branch of the Police Federation, said: “This is all about saving money to the detriment of police officers and their families and the whole thing should be consigned to the dustbin where it belongs.

“There was an opportunity lost here to professionalise the service and make us fit for the coming decades.

“But to attack police officers in the year that the Olympics is on and they want police officers to smile and be happy, while robbing them blind, is an utter disgrace.

“It is highly likely there will be another summer of discontent.

It is not implausible that there will be further disorder on the streets and to treat the police who are meant to enforce law and order so shabbily is disgraceful.”

The review – which has been published in two parts – was ordered by Home Secretary Theresa May in October 2010 in a bid to improve the service to the public and maximise value for money.

The first part, published in March last year, suggested massive savings should be made from the police pay bill over three years, although some of its recommendations have since been rejected.

Mr Winsor yesterday called for a raising of the academic bar, with new applicants for uniform jobs needing the equivalent of three A-levels at grades A to C. This follows the experience of North Yorkshire Police, which in 2010 was flooded with 350,000 inquiries about 70 vacancies it had advertised as part of a recruitment drive.

He also called for a fasttrack, direct entry to the service, giving exceptional applicants the chance to rise from civilian to inspector in three years and potentially by the age of 24.

Exceptional candidates should also be able to be promoted to superintendent after eight years of service.

Andy Metcalfe, of the Durham police branch of the Police Federation, said: “This is a further attack on police pay and conditions from the Government, who we don’t see as any great friend of the service.”

Mark Botham, chairman of North Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “Police officers have already made a significant contribution to tackle the national debt.

“We’ve seen a minimum 20 per cent cut to the police budget, the loss of 16,000 police officers expected over the next four years, £300m removed from police pay, increased pension contributions, a two-year public sector pay freeze and then a capped one per cent increase in years three and four.

“How much more are police officers expected to take? The service cannot take any more – enough is enough.”

Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert said the Government would consider carefully Mr Winsor’s recommendations. He said: “Our reforms will support the police in improving services.”