Police Federation of England and Wales
Encyclopedia
The Police Federation of England and Wales is the representative body to which all police officers
in England and Wales
up to and including the rank of Chief Inspector
belong. There are 141,000 members as of July 2009. Members can elect not to pay subscriptions and thereby not receive the legal representation and other benefits that paying members receive, but they still continue officially to be members of the federation. In reality only a very few officers have ever decided not to pay their full subscription dues. Superintendents
have their own association, the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, whilst the Association of Chief Police Officers
represents the most senior ranks.
Police officers are technically not employees, but crown-appointed warrant
holders. This allowed the police their unique independent status and notionally provides the citizens of the UK a protection from any government that might wish unlawfully to use the police as an instrument against them. The Police Federation was set up by statute to represent the rights and interests of its members, hence its recent involvement in campaigns involving drugs and licensing hours. Many observers mistakenly equate the Police Federation with a trade union
. This is an incorrect assumption as it was set up specifically by the government of the day not to be a trade union.
, Sergeant
and Inspector
ranks. Each of the 43 police forces within England and Wales has its own federation structure based on three branch boards based on rank. The three rank boards meet as a Joint Board, or in the Metropolitan Police's
case, as a Joint Executive. The 43 forces are grouped into 8 regions. Each of the regions sends a Constable, Sergeant and Inspector to the National Body called the Joint Central Committee. Due to its size, The Metropolitan Police federation send two officers of each rank to the Joint Central Committee. The central committee also has three 'reserved seat' members made up of a female PC, Sergeant and Inspector.
The Joint Central Committee has responsibility for national pay negotiations on behalf of its members. It also performs many other functions, such as training, administering legal representation and liaising with government and other national bodies on policy and legislative matters. The present Joint Central Committee Chairman is Mr Paul McKeever.
The Police Federation HQ address is Federation House, Leatherhead
, which also incorporates the federation's national training centre and hotel facility for Federation members.
The Police Federation of England and Wales is actively engaged in preparing for the possible devolution of policing matters within Wales from Westminster to the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff. If devolution does occur, The Federation within Wales wants to remain part of The Police Federation of England and Wales and also to remain part of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB)
Police officers have a number of unusual conditions attached to their working practice. Firstly, they hold a warrant from the Crown that allows each officer to act as an individual and at their own discretion. Therefore, they cannot be ordered to arrest
someone if they believe that not to be the right course of action. Some parties allege that this position is being eroded by the present UK government who are employing non warranted Police Community Support Officer
s. These new officers, who are not members of the federation, do not hold a warrant and do have the right to strike, but can be ordered to perform acts by a senior officer.
Fully warranted Police Officers do not have the right to strike and they do not have redress to an Employment Tribunal
if they believe they were wrongly dismissed. This is because police officers are excluded from much UK employment law. (Police Discipline Regulations).
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
up to and including the rank of Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
belong. There are 141,000 members as of July 2009. Members can elect not to pay subscriptions and thereby not receive the legal representation and other benefits that paying members receive, but they still continue officially to be members of the federation. In reality only a very few officers have ever decided not to pay their full subscription dues. Superintendents
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
have their own association, the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, whilst the Association of Chief Police Officers
Association of Chief Police Officers
The Association of Chief Police Officers , established in 1948, is a private limited company that leads the development of policing practice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.ACPO provides a forum for chief police officers to share ideas and coordinates the strategic...
represents the most senior ranks.
History
The Police Federation of England and Wales was set up by the Police Act 1919 after two police strikes. The government of the day were frightened by the prospect of the police going on strike and created the Police Federation of England and Wales and withdrew the right of officers in the UK to strike.Police officers are technically not employees, but crown-appointed warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
holders. This allowed the police their unique independent status and notionally provides the citizens of the UK a protection from any government that might wish unlawfully to use the police as an instrument against them. The Police Federation was set up by statute to represent the rights and interests of its members, hence its recent involvement in campaigns involving drugs and licensing hours. Many observers mistakenly equate the Police Federation with a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. This is an incorrect assumption as it was set up specifically by the government of the day not to be a trade union.
Organisation
The Police Federation is a tripartite organisation made up of equal numbers of representatives from the ConstableConstable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
, Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
and Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
ranks. Each of the 43 police forces within England and Wales has its own federation structure based on three branch boards based on rank. The three rank boards meet as a Joint Board, or in the Metropolitan Police's
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
case, as a Joint Executive. The 43 forces are grouped into 8 regions. Each of the regions sends a Constable, Sergeant and Inspector to the National Body called the Joint Central Committee. Due to its size, The Metropolitan Police federation send two officers of each rank to the Joint Central Committee. The central committee also has three 'reserved seat' members made up of a female PC, Sergeant and Inspector.
The Joint Central Committee has responsibility for national pay negotiations on behalf of its members. It also performs many other functions, such as training, administering legal representation and liaising with government and other national bodies on policy and legislative matters. The present Joint Central Committee Chairman is Mr Paul McKeever.
The Police Federation HQ address is Federation House, Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, which also incorporates the federation's national training centre and hotel facility for Federation members.
Current issues
The British Government is undertaking a review of the pay, pensions and conditions of service of police officers while at the same time looking to cut the police budget by around 25%. Police Chiefs are already planning to cut thousands of police officer jobs in anticipation of the forthcoming cuts. The figures announced by police chiefs to date would mean a loss of around 40,000 warranted police officers in England and Wales. The Police Federation is urging the Government to review its plans and to prioritise policing in the same way as the Government has prioritised the health, education and overseas development departmental budgets. If the Government continues with its planned cuts Paul McKeever, The Federation Chairman has warned that the government will be creating a 'Christmas for Criminals'.The Police Federation of England and Wales is actively engaged in preparing for the possible devolution of policing matters within Wales from Westminster to the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff. If devolution does occur, The Federation within Wales wants to remain part of The Police Federation of England and Wales and also to remain part of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB)
Police officers have a number of unusual conditions attached to their working practice. Firstly, they hold a warrant from the Crown that allows each officer to act as an individual and at their own discretion. Therefore, they cannot be ordered to arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
someone if they believe that not to be the right course of action. Some parties allege that this position is being eroded by the present UK government who are employing non warranted Police Community Support Officer
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
s. These new officers, who are not members of the federation, do not hold a warrant and do have the right to strike, but can be ordered to perform acts by a senior officer.
Fully warranted Police Officers do not have the right to strike and they do not have redress to an Employment Tribunal
Employment tribunal
Employment Tribunals are tribunal non-departmental public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, redundancy payments and employment...
if they believe they were wrongly dismissed. This is because police officers are excluded from much UK employment law. (Police Discipline Regulations).