POLICE HISTORY


LOOKBACK: A FED FIRST


With a new Federation chair in post and the annual conference approaching fast, POLICE magazine delves into the history books. We look at the first officer to take up the chair role, and what was discussed at the first conference, more than 100 years ago


It was 17 November 1919, and tensions were still running high following the police strike in the summer. Strikes which led to the Federation eventually being established by law to be the voice of rank-and-file officers. Officers from up and down the country


gathered in Central Hall for the first ever joint conference. This replaced three separate events, previously divided into a constables’ conference, a sergeants’ conference, and an inspectors’ conference, with each rank committee having their own chair. The delegates chose


working week. The war’s end, however, was accompanied by labour turmoil, as labour demanded union recognition, shorter hours, and increases exceeding the inflation rate.


The Desborough Committee recorded the pay for the average constable serving in a provincial force. With five years’ service, they would earn 2 pounds 15 shillings (£565 today) per week, including


It would be some months before the


Police Council met for the first time to begin to draw up standard conditions in Police Regulations. Until then, there was nothing compelling them to make these changes. The conference also called for new regulations to govern promotions. At the time, the feeling amongst rank-and-file was that advancement was reserved for the clerks who had never performed frontline duties.


It was said that a beat


30-year-old PC James Farley as chairman of the Joint Central Committee. PC Farley had six years of policing experience under his belt at the Met, and before joining the police had worked in engineering in Leicestershire. Farley had been a union official, but when the second strike was called, he persuaded his colleagues at Brockley to stay on duty. The first secretary was Station Sergeant Johnson, who was also from the Met. He was an official police shorthand writer and taught at the Lindon Working Men’s College. Much like the issues of today, the first


Federation conference revealed many problems around pay and conditions. The catalyst for the strikes in 1918


and 1919 was unfair pay. By 1919, half the country’s workers had a 48-hour


“… the first Federation conference revealed many problems around pay and conditions”


all their allowances such as rent and a child allowance.. The eventual outcome of the strikes of


1918 and 1919 benefited police workers. They received a pay increase which doubled their wages, and pay scales were introduced so there was parity across forces. However, some police authorities had gone against Home Office advice to adopt the pay scales, and were protesting against the ‘nationalisation’ of the police. They saw no reason to pay officers in villages the same as those in London. Feelings were strong among councillors in some urban areas, where police had suddenly overtaken the wages paid in mining, shipbuilding, and manufacturing.


constable’s promotion chances were limited to sergeant, whilst former clerks could become superintendents. It was also believed all promotions were based on membership of secret


or sectarian societies and organisations. Compulsory retirement after 26


years’ service was also debated along with granting a right of appeal for county police forces against disciplinary punishments imposed by chief constables. Members of borough forces had a right to appeal to the watch committees, but it was not until 1927 that an Act of Parliament gave all officers a right of appeal to the Home Secretary against dismissals or reductions in rank. In 1964, officers were given the right


to appeal to the Home Office against all disciplinary findings, and the watch committees lost their powers over disciplinary matters.


29 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022


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