Shadow Home Affairs Minister Michael Dunkley has called on the Government to grab the bull by the horns and start making some key decisions.

Mr. Dunkley said he believed the Progressive Labour Party's stance on serious issues such as the Police pay negotiations are creating more problems and need to be addressed forthwith.

The Shadow Minister said morale in the Police Service had reached rock bottom and it was imperative that the issue was dealt with as a matter of urgency.

"The Government appears not to want to make tough decisions,'' he said.

"They need to govern and make decisions.'' Mr. Dunkley said many Police officers had called him to voice their concerns over the rejected pay deal and its slow progress to arbitration.

And he said Police coverage was not what it could be, adding that he was worried that some parts of the Island were not getting the service they required.

"The general tone I am getting is that they feel the Government is treating them with total disregard and contempt -- morale could not get any lower,'' he said.

And Mr. Dunkley added that he was not surprised with the sick-out action being taken by some officers. But he pointed out that he did not agree with it.

Possible similar action by prison officers over the length of time a Police investigation into allegations of rape is taking also needed to be avoided, said Mr. Dunkley.

He said the probe -- which involved claims made by a female inmate that she was raped at the Co-ed Facility -- needed to be finalised one way or another so more important issues could be addressed.

"You have to make difficult decisions and there could be a lot of people upset about it, but that is a fact of life,'' Mr. Dunkley said.

"The Government is learning the hard way.''