The Early Years
(1919 - 1939)
1919 – The Federation is born
Following a police strike in London in 1918, and subsequent trouble between an unofficial body called the National Union of Police and Prison Officers and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the Government appointed Lord Desborough to head a Committee of Inquiry into the Police Service.
The Committee reported in June, and recommended standard conditions of service for all police forces in Great Britain. The Home Secretary was to become directly responsible for the service, and an advisory Police Council was to be appointed.
Desborough also recommended that there should be a Police Federation to represent the interests of constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors on matters affecting their welfare and efficiency.
The Government quickly accepted the Desborough Report and the pay scales he recommended. This meant a substantial improvement in police pay for most forces. It was also announced that, following the passages of the Police Act and the setting up of the Police Federation, members of the police forces would no longer be allowed to belong to a trade union, meaning the end of the Police Union. A second strike, called in defiance of the Police Act, was a failure: only on Merseyside was there a large response from the police, and rioting had to be put down by military intervention. All 2,000 strikers were dismissed.
In November 1919, the first Annual Conference of the Police Federation took place.
1920 – First meeting of the Police Council
The first meetings of the Police Council of England and Wales drew up new Police Regulations which were approved by Parliament. Many local authorities strongly objected to the new powers of the Home Secretary and complained about the high level of police wages.
1921 – Standardisation of police pensions
The Police Pensions Act standardised pensions for all police forces. However, by requiring officers to serve for 30 years, instead of 26 years, for their maximum pension entitlement, in many areas conditions were worsened.
1922 – The Federation suffers its first defeat
The Home Secretary told the Joint Central Committee that a pay cut for provincial forces, as recommended by the Geddes Committee on Public Expenditure, could only be avoided by savings in other areas. It was agreed that there should be: a cut in rent allowances and the abolition of tax refunds on them; a ‘levy’ of 2.5% of pay; reductions in plain clothes and subsistence allowance; overtime was to start after nine hours duty instead of eight. The ‘levy’ was considered a temporary measure.
The agreement at the Police Council split the JCC and aroused bitter protests from branch boards. It was a major blow to confidence in the new Federation.
1923 – Desborough under threat
The levy was renewed for another year. In July, the Government yielded to pressure from the local authorities and reconvened Lord Desborough’s Committee to reconsider the pay scales it had drawn up in 1919.
1924 – Desborough maintains pay standards
Desborough reported that the Committee saw no reason to alter police pay, saying that it was not the right time for “disturbing an agreement come to so recently”.
1925 – Pension contributions are doubled
Following disagreement at the Police Council, a Committee under Lord Lee recommended that the deductions from pay and rent allowances should be ended, but that pension contributions should be doubled to 5%.
1926 – Police work during the General Strike is recognised
The year of the General Strike saw the Times newspaper set up a National Police Fund, in response to public’s gratitude for the work of the service.
1927 – Police given more rights in disciplinary action
The Police (Appeals) Act gave members of the police service a limited right of appeal against disciplinary decisions.
1928 – The Federation faces collapse
The JCC was unable to find a secretary after Station Sergeant Berry resigned because there were no official facilities. After much argument, the Home Secretary agreed to an annual grant of £300 a year to cover all Federation expenses, and agreed that the JCC Secretary, although not a full-time Federation official, would be given ‘every facility’ to do the work.
1930 – A National Police College is proposed
The Police Council convened, for the first time since 1925, to discuss the Home Office proposal for a National Police College to train the higher ranks. The scheme was accepted by all bodies represented on the Police Council, but was abandoned because of the economic crisis the following year.
1931 – The Federation gains a full-time official, but faces pay cuts
The Home Office agreed that the new JCC Secretary, Constable Albert Goodsall of the Metropolitan Police, should be the first full-time official of the Federation.
The May Committee on National Expenditure recommended a cut of 12.5% in police pay as part of general cuts in public spending, phased over two years. May also recommended the abolition of the right to retire on ‘half pay’ pensions after 25 years’ service.
A sub-committee of the Police Council recommended that there should be no change in pensionable pay, but that there should be ‘temporary deduction’. The sub-committee was divided on the pensions issue, but a majority proposed that the pay of new entrants should be reduced.
The Government decided to reduce police pay by 10% in two instalments of 5%, taking into account the reduction in police pay when pension contributions were increased in 1925.
The Federation held a series of mass meetings of the membership to protest against the pay cuts.
1932 – Two pay scales are introduced, and open meetings are banned
A Committee, under Sir George Higgins, recommended that the pay of new entrants to the police should be lower than the pay of existing officers. The Government accepted the report and two scales of pay, ‘A’ for existing officers and ‘B’ for recruits, were introduced.
Lord Trenchard, the Metropolitan Commissioner, persuaded the Home Secretary to ban the Federation from holding Open Meetings, on the grounds that they were being used to make protests against Government policy.
The JCC submitted a resolution to the Home Secretary which drew attention to ‘dissatisfaction in the Force’.
1933 – The Federation comes under fire from Metropolitan Commissioner
Lord Trenchard’s Annual Report for 1932 contained a strong attack on the Metropolitan Branch Boards, accusing them of attempting to stir-up discontent in the force and of issuing a steady stream of propaganda against his policies.
The Commissioner’s Report also contained his proposals for a Metropolitan Police College, which would train bright young officers and recruit others from public schools and universities. After graduating from the college, the students would be given the rank of Junior Station Inspectors. A scheme to recruit constables on ten-year contracts in the Metropolitan Police was announced. These officers would not qualify for promotion or permanent appointments, but would be paid a gratuity on completing their engagement.
The Trenchard proposals were embodied in the Metropolitan Police Act of 1933, and amongst other provisions, Metropolitan chief inspectors were taken out of membership of the Police Federation.
1934 – Pay cuts averted
The 10% pay ‘cut’ was reduced by one-half (and abolished altogether the following year).