Civilian staff protested outside the force's Middlemoor HQ in April

The job evaluation said changes should be carried out regardless of effects on morale, performance, or staff leaving.

The plan, authorised by Chief Constable Maria Wallis, caused protests by hundreds of civilian staff in April.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it could not comment while inquiries into the evaluation were being carried out.

Review implications

The information came to light in documents obtained by the BBC using the Freedom of Information Act.

The evaluation was a re-grading exercise which was meant to ensure fair pay for all, but meant some faced pay cuts of up to �8,000. The force eventually backed down.

The documents also suggested the project team were aware the process would be controversial and checked it with Maria Wallis.

The documents said she "affirmed the mandate to press ahead with implementation notwithstanding possible short to medium-term implications in respect of morale, labour turnover, attendance and performance".

Inquiries into the evaluation, including one by the Metropolitan Police and one by the local Police Authority, are expected to report by the end of the year. The evaluation is on hold while the inquiries are carried out.

A group was set up by police civilian staff after the April walk-out to fight any attempts to enforce the evaluation, the Police Staff Communication Group

Group head Tracey Williams said: "We obviously can't say too much as a group at the moment because we don't want to say anything that's going to affect the investigations that are taking place.

"All we will say is that the documents appear to speak for themselves."

Devon and Cornwall Police said that the ongoing inquiries meant that it would not be appropriate to comment.