Branch chair challenges Federation leaders over need for genuine cultural change

21 October 2026

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell has challenged national Federation leaders over how they intend to deliver meaningful cultural change and rebuild members' trust in the organisation.

Speaking during a panel discussion at this year's Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) conference, Luke questioned whether genuine reform could be achieved while many of the same individuals remained involved in the Federation's leadership.

The discussion, featuring acting deputy national chair Paul Williams, acting national secretary Mel Warnes and interim chief executive officer Gabriel Milland, focused on the Federation's transformation programme and plans to improve accountability, transparency and governance.

While welcoming the unity demonstrated at September's National Council meeting, where transformation proposals received unanimous support, Luke stressed that structural reform alone would not resolve the organisation's problems.

 

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell

 

He said: “You spoke about honesty in some of your speech. And for me, honesty is a very basic requirement, really, but it feels there's a culture issue at Leatherhead.

“I question how we can change culture when it's predominantly the same people that are going to be involved around that.”

Luke also questioned why concerns about the Federation's leadership culture had not been challenged or addressed sooner, particularly following comments from Paul about the influence of egos within the organisation.

He was equally clear that the Federation's focus must remain firmly on the officers it represents.

Working for members

“Everything that we do in this room is for the benefit of our members,” he told the panel.

Responding, Paul acknowledged the concerns and said that meaningful change required individuals to recognise past mistakes and take responsibility for putting them right.

He also said that some individuals who had previously attempted to challenge behaviour within the organisation had faced bullying and intimidation.

Paul insisted that the Federation was committed to moving forward with greater honesty, unity and accountability.

Cultural change

Gabriel agreed that cultural change was fundamental to the transformation programme, highlighting measures being introduced to strengthen oversight and transparency, including a remuneration committee and an anonymous reporting line for misconduct and unethical behaviour.

He said: “I think everything flows from culture. And culture is the most important thing.”

The wider discussion also addressed the impact of recent events involving the Federation's senior leadership, with Mel acknowledging that members had every right to feel shocked, angry and let down.

She said the organisation had not always got things right and that rebuilding trust would be a significant challenge, but stressed that the Federation remained an organisation worth fighting for.

Structural reforms

The panel outlined a series of proposed structural reforms, including replacing the separate national chair and national secretary roles with a single general secretary position, reducing the size of the National Board and giving the National Council greater responsibility for setting the organisation's strategic priorities.

Independent non-executive directors are also being introduced to strengthen scrutiny and ensure greater accountability at the top of the organisation.

The Federation's credibility with the Government was another key topic, with delegates questioning whether recent leadership changes had weakened its ability to influence decisions affecting policing.

Paul acknowledged the difficulties but said the Federation needed to rebuild relationships through constructive engagement, while demonstrating that it was serious about reform.

Relationships

He stressed that the organisation must be able to challenge Government effectively while maintaining professional and productive relationships.

Despite the challenges, the panel highlighted the unanimous backing for the transformation programme at September's National Council meeting as an encouraging sign of greater unity across the Federation.

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, Paul said he expected to see significant improvements in the Federation's culture, governance and effectiveness, describing the ambition to create a more open, transparent and approachable organisation with a stronger voice for members.

READ MORE: PFEW conference opens with tribute to fallen officers.