The Police Federation was founded in 1919, 90 years after the Police Act 1829 brought the Metropolitan Police into being.  In that period, police officers were denied the right to form any kind of association to protect their interests. 

Until 1890, the police had no statutory right to a pension.  The Government and the police authorities did their utmost to ensure that police forces remained immune from the growing trade union movement, which was seen as a major threat to the establishment.

 

The Government appointed Committee of Inquiry under Lord Desborough examined the police service.  It announced that the police would be allowed an internal representative body, but the Police Union would never be recognised and police who belonged to it would have to resign their membership. 

It also recommended that the Home Secretary should become responsible to Parliament for the entire police service.  The Police Act 1919 established the Police Federation and awarded the entire police service a substantial increase in pay.

The Police Union, demanding that it should be recognised, called a strike to oppose the Police Act. The strike was defeated and all officers who took part were dismissed.

In 1920, the Police Council drew up the first Police Regulations, setting out standard conditions of service.

In 1940, the police got their first pay increase since Desborough.

 

Nine years later, the Oaksey Committee's report on police pay and conditions of service was published and, in 1950, Part 2 of the report dealt with representative organisations and negotiating machinery.  It allowed the Federation to raise funds by voluntary contributions from its members.  The report said the Federation should agree to represent women police, or they should have their own organisation.  It also called for new negotiating machinery, with access to arbitration.

 

In 1952, the Police Council's proposed constitution for a new negotiating body was published.  The Police Council for Great Britain was to cover Scotland as well as England and Wales.  The Police Arbitration Tribunal was set up, but the Home Secretary was given the right to veto its award.

 

The Police Act 1964 embodied most of the proposals of the Royal Commission and set the pattern of police organisation and control for the rest of the century. The Government introduced the first scheme to compensate victims of crime out of public funds. Capital punishment was abolished.

 

In 1966, in response to Federation criticism of bad management and lack of modern equipment, the Home Secretary established an inquiry by the Police Advisory Board (PAB) into manpower, equipment and efficiency.  Compulsory force mergers reduced the number of forces from 126 to 49.

 

In 1971, the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 gave public service pensioners, including police, a guarantee that their pension will be index-linked to take account of inflation and in 1972 commutation rights were extended to officers retiring with less than 25 years' service

In 1976 the Federation walked out of the Police Council and demanded direct negotiation with the Government.  Federation branch boards held ballots as to whether the police should have the right to strike.  Conference carried a motion with the right to strike. 

With huge anger in the police service, in 1977, the Government conceded to an independent inquiry led by Lord Justice Edmund Davies to examine police pay and whether the police should be allowed to affiliate to the TUC or have the right to strike.

 

In 1978 the Government accepted the report which rejected affiliation to the TUC and the right to strike. The Police Council was replaced by the Police Negotiation Board (PNB).

 

In 1993 the Sheehy Report into police responsibilities and rewards was published and substantial parts were rejected.  Housing allowance was abolished for new entrants, and would no longer be uprated for serving officers.

 

In 1998, the Federation proposed radical changes to police training through Project Forward. The PNB reached agreement on conditions governing part-time working and job sharing.

In 2002, Jan Berry became the first female national chair of the Police Federation.

In 2008, around 23,000 police officers marched through London to protest over pay. It was also the year the Federation moved its HQ from Surbiton to Leatherhead.

Two years later, the coalition Government announced 20 per cent cuts to policing budgets with the Federation warning cuts would have consequences.

In March 2011, Part 1 of Thomas Winsor's review of police pay and conditions was published shortly followed by Lord Hutton's Independent Public Service Pensions Commission Final Report (10/3/).  These were followed in 2012 by Winsor 2 along with the advent of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC's) and the launch of the College of Policing (CoP).

The same year, national Federation chair Paul McKeever led a march through London with around 30,000 officers protesting over cuts to police budgets. Paul died suddenly the following year, just days before his planned retirement.

In 2014, as a result of the Winsor review, PNB is replaced with the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). At conference, delegates supported all 36 recommendations from Sir David Normington's independent review, putting the Police Federation on the route to wholesale reform.

A year later, the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, told conference delegates the Federation was 'crying wolf' over the effects of funding cuts.

In 2018, John Apter became the first national chair to be elected by the membership and later that year the Federation's Protect the Protectors campaign leads to tougher sentences for those who assault police and other emergency service workers.

In 2019, after a cyber-attack that led to the cancellation of the national conference for the first time and caused major disruption to Federation systems and operations, the Federation recovered to stage an event in London to celebrate its centenary.

 

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