“We were shocked by the
scale of bullying that we found at the Federation’s Headquarters. It
rivals any popular soap opera. It is disgraceful that any Chairman should have
been hounded out for championing the long-overdue reforms set out in the
Normington Report. Only a new National Chair, elected directly by the
Federation’s rank-and-file members, will have the authority to implement
these changes in full.
The Federation needs complete
financial transparency to remove all suspicion about the so-called “No. 2
accounts”. Federation funds should serve the Members and the public
directly, not the organisation itself. Police officer’s from every corner
of England and Wales should receive an immediate rebate on their current
subscriptions, which have accumulated into unnecessary reserves of around
£70 million, and a subscription freeze for next year.
The Federation must seize this
opportunity to reform without delay. Our police service is the best in the
world but its reputation has been extensively damaged by the Federation
suffering a sustained period of self inflicted harm. I hope that, with these
reforms, it can move forwards to become, once again, the powerful and respected
voice that our police officers, and the country, expect and
deserve”