My point, Eyethenkyew, is that the arrangements which apply to the police come about through the contractual agreement between them and their employers. That's exactly the same for all other people who get paid extra (or who have time off in lieu) on public holidays. Some people will have contractual terms entitling them to additional pay (or to timer off in lieu); many other won't . (When I worked on the railways, public holidays were 'just another day', and paid at exactly the same rate as normal. Christmas Day was a compulsory part of an employee's holiday entitlement, paid at the normal rate, simply because the rail network was closed on that day).
As I've stated above, Parliament has never passed any statutory legislation (other the very limited exceptions I've referred to) in respect of employment on public holidays. The Government's website states "If you work on a bank or public holiday, there is no automatic right to an enhanced pay rate. What you get paid depends on your contract of employment":
http://www.direct.gov...dholidays/DG_10029788
Chris