PFEW suspends national chair and secretary following arrests
The Police Federation of England and Wales has suspended its national chair and national secretary following their arrests as part of a City of London Police investigation into suspected fraud and bribery.
Tiff Lynch and John Partington were among four people arrested by officers from the City of London Police Domestic Corruption Unit on Tuesday.
The arrests were made at an address in Leatherhead, Surrey, as part of the investigation into allegations involving the Federation.
Lynch, a serving Leicestershire Police officer, is the Federation’s national chair, while Partington is its national secretary and a serving Metropolitan Police officer.
The City of London Police said yesterday that the four people arrested were two men in their 40s and 50s and two women in their 50s. One man and one woman were arrested on suspicion of bribery, fraud by abuse of position of trust and fraud by failing to disclose information.
The other man and woman were arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position of trust. All four were taken to a police station for questioning.
The arrests followed three made in March as part of the same investigation, bringing the total number of people arrested to seven.
In a statement issued today, the Federation said Lynch and Partington had been suspended from their roles “pending ongoing investigations”. It stressed that suspension was “a neutral act” and “does not imply any presumption of wrongdoing or guilt”.
Brian Booth has been appointed Acting National Chair and Mel Warnes Acting National Secretary. Paul Williams and Simon Kempton have been elected as Acting Deputy National Chair and Acting Deputy National Secretary respectively, following a national board election.
The Federation said the changes would not affect its work on behalf of members. “Police officers will continue to receive the representation, legal support and welfare services they rely on,” its National Board said.
It added that its Transformation Programme, which aims to improve governance, culture and transparency, would continue “uninterrupted”.
The Federation said it would make no further comment because of the ongoing investigation.
The investigation began with three arrests in March, including former PFEW chief executive Mukund Krishna. No charges have been announced in relation to the investigation. An arrest or suspension does not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.