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Police officers across the country could soon be gearing up for their first strike in more than a century – with Lincolnshire officers backing the action.

Over the past few months, rail and tube workers, teachers, university staff, doctors, nurses and civil servants have staged walkouts, advocating for fairer wages amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

In June, the Police Federation of England & Wales voted to ballot its members on whether it should pursue acquiring industrial rights.

A federation spokesman said: “The federation voted to ballot members on whether the organisation should pursue industrial rights on behalf of our membership.

Police are set to ballot on industrial action. (Photo by: John Devlin/nationalworld.com)

“The National Board is now exploring what industrial rights could mean for our members.”

Tumbling number of high-performing GCSE students in Lincolnshire

The ballot would ask current federation members whether or not they want to seek strike action. It is not a vote on imminent industrial action.

Leaders within the police community are increasingly alarmed by the dwindling number of officers, with many attributing this to unfair pay and challenging work conditions.

A similar campaign to gain the right to strike was made in 2013, but fell short as only a third of officers supported the move.

However, there is a sense of renewed hope this time.

One police officer, originally from Lincolnshire, said: “We are the uniform service routinely overlooked when it comes to pay rises in line with inflation.”

Highlighting the strain on his force, he said: “West Midlands Police is the busiest force in the country, we have more jobs in a shift per individual officer than any other.

“You’ll start with a hot lunch and by the time you actually get to eat your first forkful it could be cold because you’ve just not had time to even think about it. It’s just highlights how we are constantly working ourselves to death.”

The constable also believes the current pay scale and working conditions are hampering recruitment efforts, adding: “Potentially fantastic police officers will never join because it’s just not competitive enough in pay.

“The conditions we work under just don’t balance out and that’s purely because we have been betrayed by the government that we serve.”

Another officer said: “We do a difficult and dangerous job and deserve to be paid more.”

Lincolnshire Police and Marc Jones, Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner, declined to comment.

‘We’re working ourselves to death’ – Lincolnshire police constables eye first strike in more than a century