Substantial steps have been taken towards completing the organisational reform outlined by the 2014 Police Federation of England and Wales Independent Review. To date, 12 of the 36 recommendations put forward by the review panel, chaired by Sir David Normington, have been completed. During the summer, a total of 26 are expected to be completed subject to changes in Police Federation Regulations being passed in law.
The reforms aim to ‘create a Police Federation that can act as a credible voice for rank and file police officers and genuinely serve the public good as well as its members’ interests’. The PFEW agreed to implement all of the Review recommendations at annual conference in May 2014. Work is being carried out in a phased approach over an agreed time frame which is outlined in the Independent Review.
These fundamental changes are being built upon a revised Core Purpose which reflects the Federation’s commitment to act in the public interest, with accountability to the public and members. Here are some of the key areas of reform:
• The national chair, sub-committee chairs and local branch boards signed an Openness Commitment in May 2015 relating to the availability of committee papers and minutes to members via local Branch Boards
• Financial transparency – information on financial accounts from which the Federation derives income or contributes revenue are available here
• The Annual Conference will be slimmed down from the original four days to two days with the number of attendees almost halved
• National and local member databases which will allow better communication with members have been developed and are scheduled to go live in May
• Ten recommendations, including the creation of new national and local boards and councils, relate to changing the structure of the Federation and the electoral process. Both the blueprint for regulatory change and the underpinning Federation Rules have been shared with the Home Office to assist with drafting of the Police Federation Regulations. Structural changes will be completed once the new regulations are in place and the next triennial elections are underway in 2017
Read the full Independent Review update
