TV documentary ‘could not be further from the truth’

The Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF) has reacted angrily to the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary about the inner workings of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW).

A Dispatches programme entitled Policemen Behaving Badly, which aired on April 14, investigated the financial accountability, bullying allegations and power struggles within the PFEW.

Four senior figures in the organisation recently announced their retirement; with Chairman Steve Williams citing bullying from senior officers as one of the reasons behind his decision to leave. General Secretery Ian Rennie is also stepping down, while Deputy General Secretary Steve Smith and Deputy Chairman George Gallimore will also leave after the PFEW’s annual conference in May.

The programme was critical of the PFEW’s role in the Pleb-gate scandal, which resulted in the resignation of former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell. It also raised concerns over the hoarding of millions of pounds by some individual branches in unpublished number two accounts.

The programme made no mention of the MPF, which is the largest of the 43 independent federations. The MPF said it was not asked for a comment on the programme, and criticised producers for “regurgitating well known and publicised issues, without presenting any hard evidence”.

In a joint statement John Tully, the MPF chairman, and Neil Cratchley, the general secretary, said the episode was not only an example of very lazy journalism, but also a further plank in the ‘political’ agenda to destroy the PFEW.

“The impression of the Police Federation given by Channel 4 Dispatches this week is one of an organisation which is on the verge of imploding, full of deceitful and dishonest individuals hell bent on preserving their positions and self-interest. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

While admitting that the independent review of the PFEW portrayed a devastating picture, they dispute the fact that, as claimed by the review, the views expressed are representative of all of the PFEW membership.

Of approximately 12,500 responses received by the review panel, the MPF said many were from third parties, such as the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and government, meaning that less than ten per cent of responses were from PFEW members.

“There is much made of the PFEW’s responsibility to the public interest, but we are a membership organisation, we represent our members’ interests first and foremost. That said, it is recognised that after 95 years there is room for reform and improvement in the organisation. Any such reform must be properly structured to improve the service we provide,” the statement said.

Before his resignation, Mr Williams was in favour of implementing almost all of the Normington review recommendations, including changes to the organisation’s financial structure, national leadership and accountability, believing that if the PFEW did not change itself, changes would be made for it.

Mr Tully and Mr Cratchley urged caution over the widespread acceptance of the proposed reforms, adding that the organisation must ensure that the reforms taken forward are constructive and fit for purpose and benefit the membership in the long term.

“There appears to be a desire for a headlong rush towards implementation of all of the recommendations, this indecent haste will undoubtedly cause problems in the future. We must not rush this through only to have to revisit it in the near future,” they said.

“The MPF is actively engaged in discussion and debate around the 36 review recommendations, some of which (last count 18) we can support with little or no alteration, a further ten we believe require some work before they would be fit for purpose and only eight we think raise long-term issues, but don’t necessarily present insurmountable difficulties.”