HAMPSHIRE'S chief constable has renewed calls for a regional police pay allowance after constables in the South were found to be 15 per cent worse off than their northern counterparts.

Paul Kernaghan appealed for the Government to introduce an allowance that reflected the high cost of living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Speaking at the Hampshire Police Federation's annual open meeting in Winchester last week, Mr Kernaghan said research had shown officers in some parts of the South East were 15 per cent worse off when compared to an officer in the north.

"We are all aware that issues of retention and recruitment are affecting the whole region to various degrees, and the South East forces have collaborated on a submission to the Home Office," he said.

"It is wrong that economic reality is not reflected in police remuneration; there should be a national salary but there should also be an allowance which reflects he economic circumstances based upon a scientific formula."

Mr Kernaghan spoke out just days after a poll of Hampshire police officers revealed that one in six had considered quitting Hampshire because they could not afford a decent home.

Both the newly-appointed federation chairman Keith Ward and Mr Kernaghan raised concerns about a proposed shake-up of central funding, which, Mr Kernaghan predicted, would lead either to reduced services or increased council tax bills.

Sergeant Ward said: "Shift strengths and frontline CID officers are still suffering from the continuous demand to populate one squad or another.

"I can only see this situation worsening if the proposed Government reforms on budgets go ahead."