How We Are Organised
There are 43 Police forces in England and Wales. Each is a branch of the Police Federation and negotiates directly with the chief officer and the Police authority. Normally, the national chairman will not comment to the media on a local matter which does not have national implications, and such enquiries should be directed to Stephen Matthews the Chairman of Cleveland Police Federation on Thornaby Ext. 2284 or, alternatively by e-mail stephen.matthews@cleveland.pnn.police.uk
- All Federation officials, local and national, are elected for three year terms and are eligible for re-election when a term expires.
- An annual conference is held each year, usually in May.
- All branch boards and committees of the Federation have a reserved seat for a woman.
- The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the joint branch board are elected by the committee from among members of that board.
How We Serve Our Members
The federation raises voluntary contributions from its members.
The funds of the federation are used mainly to provide services to members. Subject to the discretion of the joint central committee, free legal and medical advice and assistance is provided to enable members to pursue civil claims for damages for such things as injuries sustained in traffic and other kinds of accidents; defamation arising from Police duty; and criminal assaults. The funds can also be used to assist officers who are involved in equal opportunities cases.
The Federation also provides legal advice and assistance to members who are charged with certain criminal offences, arising wholly from the course of their duties. It also pays for legal assistance to members facing serious disciplinary allegations.
It is the member who takes legal action. The Federation simply provides the financial backing, within the rules of the funds (which are approved by the annual conferences). It is therefore wrong to say that the Federation is suing in an individual case. Nor does the provision of legal assistance from the funds imply that the Federation is "backing" a member facing a criminal or disciplinary charge. All members are treated equally, and the Federation does not take a prior view on the merits of a case, where this is a matter for the courts or the disciplinary authority. Cleveland Police Federation provides a number of member services for it's members, see our Member Services menu.
