The Home Secretary set out a comprehensive overhaul aimed at curbing the power of the Police Federation . The scandal-hit police union will face sweeping reforms to end its ‘closed shop’ culture, it was announced yesterday. The Home Secretary set out a comprehensive overhaul aimed at curbing the power of the Police Federation, ending decades of mismanagement. Theresa May announced membership will no longer be compulsory for the 126,000 frontline officers who serve across England and Wales from next month. Its senior leadership will also not be paid from the public purse and they must demonstrate their ‘integrity and value’, she added. The move is a victory for the Daily Mail which has repeatedly exposed how the union was hijacked by a militant minority bent on attacking the Government. Their bullying tactics, lavish spending on corporate credit cards and drunken antics were laid bare by this newspaper in a series of devastating exposes. The union was also discovered to have invested vast sums in mysterious off-shore accounts amid questions over its £95million of cash and assets. The huge cash pile was reflected in the £26million lavished on the new luxury HQ in Leatherhead, Surrey, which includes a Freemasons’ lodge. And last year two of its most senior officials resigned just days after this newspaper revealed it had hired a PR firm to mastermind a ‘blitzkrieg’ campaign against the Government. The ‘guerilla tactics’ deal was designed to undermine a deeply unpopular programme of cuts and reform designed to drag policing into the 21st century. The union was also damaged by the Plebgate affair, sparked by a clash between the then chief whip Andrew Mitchell and Downing Street armed guards. Some senior figures seized on the scandal, printing T-shirts, posters and launching an online campaign in a bid to discredit the Tory command. But the series of politicised stunts backfired after officials were discovered to have misrepresented Mr Mitchell’s comments in a private meeting. The Federation’s new leadership, led by chairman Steve White, now hope to draw a line under the entire saga. They agree the union must be more transparent and open with both its members and the general public. Many of the changes announced yesterday are the result of a review they commissioned by former home office mandarin Sir David Normington. The union was also damaged by the Plebgate affair, sparked by a clash between the then chief whip Andrew Mitchell (left) and armed guards. Its new leadership, led by chairman Steve White (right), hopes to draw a line under the saga . The new luxury Police Federation HQ in Leatherhead, Surrey, which includes a Freemasons’ lodge . The writing has been on the wall for the Police Federation since last spring when Mrs May demanded it must ‘change or die’. The Home Secretary said the frontline police ‘union’ must end its closed shop culture or she would legislate against it. In an astonishing speech, she accused it of complicity in an ‘attitude’ that leads to racism, neglect of vulnerable victims and the obstruction of official inquiries. ‘Every police officer, every single police leader, and everybody in the Police Federation should confront it and expunge it from the ranks,’ she added. Yesterday, in a ministerial statement, Mrs May confirmed the reforms, many of which have been requested by the Federation. Mrs May said the union has made ‘steady progress’ getting its house in order by implementing the recommendations. Many of the reforms focus on financial management and include a move to enable accounts to be ‘called in’ and examined by the Government. A further change puts the Federation on notice to prepare to be subject to Freedom of Information laws once new legislation can be agreed. Mrs May said the changes will bring ‘accountability and transparency’ to the way the union conducts its affairs. Mr White said: ‘We are pleased the Home Secretary has recognised the progress that we have made in implementing the reforms contained in the independent review we commissioned.
Home Secretary has set out a major overhaul aimed at Police Federation . Membership will no longer be compulsory for 126,000 frontline officers . Senior leadership will no longer be paid from public purse under new rules . Comes after the Mail exposed militant minority which hijacked the union . They splurged on corporate credit cards and had off-shore bank accounts . Police misconduct hearings will in future be held in public. Meanwhile, whistleblowers will also be given protection from disciplinary action if they report concerns about how their forces are run, under changes to the disciplinary system.