HUNDREDS of police staff across Hampshire will go on strike only days before Christmas in a campaign for improved pay.

The first Unison police members strike in 25 years will involve more than 800 staff across the county and will see 999 call takers, PCSOs, crime scene officers, fingerprint experts and detention officers walk out for 24 hours.

Despite this a Hampshire Constabulary spokesman told the Daily Echo that the force expected “minimal impact” from the strike.

The action – part of Unison members’ campaign to reopen pay talks – will be held on Monday, December 22 followed by a four-week ban on voluntary overtime between January 5 and February 1 next year.