The aftermath of the ‘Plebgate’ row has claimed two more victims, with the chairman and the general secretary of the embattled Police Federation both announcing they will retire at the end of next month.
In the wake of the Andrew Mitchell scandal and an independent review that revealed millions of pounds held in unaccounted reserves, chairman Steve Williams and general secretary Ian Rennie have both decided to leave the police service and their roles in the Federation.
A review of the Police Federation by charity the RSA published in January found that the body had around £95 million in reserves and assets.
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The organisation was deeply divided into local factions, most of which refused to share details of their accounts with the investigators.
It became embroiled in the so-called ‘plebgate’ row after then-chief whip Andrew Mitchell had a foul-mouthed confrontation with an officer guarding Downing Street in September 2012.
Mr Mitchell, who was accused of calling the officer a “pleb”, which he denied, was forced to resign his post following a month of intense media interest in the story.
The saga continued the following month when members of the Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands branches met with the politician in his Sutton Coldfield constituency in a bid to clear the air.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton, Inspector Ken MacKaill and Sergeant Chris Jones claimed that he had refused to reveal what he had actually said, but this was apparently contradicted by a secret recording of the meeting.
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They were later hauled before MPs to explain what had happened.
Mr Williams said: “The Police Federation has faced a turbulent period in its history and there has been much criticism of our organisation and the way certain members behaved.
He added: “Over the last few months, despite at times some significant challenges and opposition along the way, I have tried to manoeuvre the organisation to a place whereby we can start to deliver what is best for the Police Federation, its members and the British police service as a whole. Having reflected on where we now are, I feel that it is only right and proper that PFEW (the Police Federation of England and Wales) elects a new chairman to take this organisation into the next phase.”
Mr Williams and Mr Rennie will leave in late May, after the Police Federation’s annual conference.
In the financial review, researchers found the federation held central reserves of £29.5 million and those held by branch boards stood at around £35 million, but there was also another estimated £30 million in separate accounts, details of which were not given to the national heads of the organisation.
The RSA said that subscription rates should be cut by 25 per cent in 2015, subsidised by central reserves, in a bid to hand back some of the money to members.
Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz said: “I am amazed and surprised by the proposed retirement of two people who have been instrumental in instigating reform in the Police Federation.”
He added: “These retirements will leave this important organisation with a huge vacuum and leaderless at a time when they need strong direction. It will remain to be seen if the federation will continue on the path of change.”