Background
The Police Federation of England and Wales is a staff association for all police constables, sergeants and inspectors (including chief inspectors). It was created by the Police Act 1919, passed a year after a crippling strike by the unrecognised National Union of Police and Prison Officers (NUPPO).
The Police Act standardised pay and conditions across the country, and greatly increased rates of pay, but it also imposed many of the restrictions police officers continue to work under, including constraints on their personal lives, the inability to form a trade union and the lack of full industrial rights.
This means that the Federation is also subject to a number of constraints. It cannot affiliate, or even work too closely with other trades union, and it cannot, for example, join the Trade Union Congress. Because police officers are legally prohibited from going on strike, the Federation is reliant on negotiation alone to reach agreements on pay and conditions.
Useful links:
To view a full history of the Police Federation, click here
For more on the the structure of the Police Federation, click here