Break The Monopoly - A Call to Amend The Police Act 1996

A Call for Reform: Help Us Secure Fair Representation for Police Officers and Break The Monopoly

Introduction

This campaign has been initiated to help reshape the future of police representation in England and Wales. The current structure, enshrined in the Police Act 1996, restricts officers from choosing their own representative body—leaving them solely reliant on the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW). While the PFEW was intended to be a strong advocate for officers, recent reviews and legal judgments have exposed deep-rooted cultural and structural failings that have left many officers feeling isolated, unsupported, and betrayed.

As the PFEW’s recent ‘looking forward’ review put it:

“One of the clearest observations we have made in our discussions over the period of this review is that not only did the corporate governance framework fail the Federation during the pensions dispute, but it is still not adequate to enable the organisation to work effectively.”

We believe that real reform—both structural and cultural—is urgently needed, and that can only be achieved by giving officers the freedom to choose who represents them.

Our Story

My name is Lee Broadbent. I’m a serving police officer with 20 years of experience and a former Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation. I’m one of the founding members of a small group of police officers widely known as the Police Pension Challenge group. For the last decade we have been challenging discrimination and victimisation within policing. In 2022, I gave evidence in a landmark Employment Tribunal case that found PFEW had actively discriminated against and victimised me and thousands of colleagues.

The judgment was damning. It found that PFEW had not only obstructed legitimate legal claims but also pursued a campaign of misinformation which pitted members against each other. Subsequent reviews have also exposed a toxic culture of hostility, where those who express differing views and opinions are referred to as ‘dissidents’, ‘internal terrorists’, and ‘the enemy within.’

As you can see, this is not a personal grievance—it’s a systemic failure that affects the entire policing community.

Why This Matters

Police officers deserve a representative body that listens, advocates, and acts in their best interests. Yet, as highlighted in PFEW’s recent ‘looking forward’ review and the 2014 Normington review:

· The PFEW is seen as isolated and ineffective, lacking influence with key stakeholders.

· Has a toxic internal culture, including misogynistic, bullying, and authoritarian behaviours.

· Officers feel their relationship with the PFEW is transactional, not built on mutual trust or collective purpose.

· The PFEW has failed to act on issues that matter most to its members.

The importance of good representation is not only in the interests of police officers but also in the interest of the wider public who would expect that proper attention is given to the voices of the rank and file to ensure an efficient and effective police service. Where police representation is weak and ineffective, it results in a demoralised, poorly rewarded, and despondent police workforce. It also allows poor policing behaviours, practices, and cultures to go unchallenged, as highlighted in the Casey, Angiolini, and Macpherson reports.

As opposed to being a strong advocate on essential changes within policing, and upholding and demonstrating the highest standards, the most recent review dedicated an entire section to the toxic culture within PFEW, noting:

“We have also heard distressing claims of misogynistic behaviour within the Federation which we are told has had severe impacts on women police officers and Federation officers, undermining their work within the Federation and making it an unsafe and toxic environment for them. It is particularly worrying that a member organisation which fights for equality in the workplace faces allegations of unacceptable behaviours and attitudes which discriminate against women.”

This behaviour raises a serious question which I recently asked the Home Affairs Select committee to investigate: If representatives of PFEW are actively involved in sexist, misogynistic and bullying behaviours, how can its membership, police forces and indeed the public have any confidence in its abilities and public duty to safeguard some of its more vulnerable members and be a credible voice capable of driving improvements across policing?

Police officers need and deserve powerful representation of their interests to secures real improvements to their working lives.

The Legal Challenge

We are preparing to mount a legal challenge to amend the Police Act 1996 and #BreakTheMonopoly the Federation currently holds. Not only do we have incontrovertible evidence of the Federation's significant and systemic failings, but we argue that the aspects of the Police Act 1996 are archaic and potentially incompatible with the Human Rights Act, specifically Article 11 and our ability to lawful associate and assemble.

Legal experts believe we have a good case—one that could finally give officers the right to choose their representative body. But we need your help.

We aim to raise between £200,000–£250,000 to cover the full cost of legal fees and to assist us in campaigning and creating a viable, police officer driven alternative to PFEW.

To maintain your confidence and trust in our campaign, we intend to raise the total amount in 2 stages.

The first/initial funding drive aims to raise £15,000 to convert our conversations with legal experts into formal written legal advice. This advice will be the foundation of our future campaign and vision. We hope to be able to share aspects of the advice with you, subject to legal privilege, to secure your confidence, trust, continued support and donations.

Once we have the formal legal advice, we anticipate our campaign will pick up pace and interest. It is at this point we will commence the second/final funding raise, likely seeking to secure total donations amounting to £200,000 - £250,000. These donations will cover the full estimated legal costs of bringing this challenge, including adverse cost orders should our challenge fail, and assist with costs associated with campaigning to bring about a political resolution and building an alternative representative body.

Beyond the Legal Fight

Time and time again we are told that if another association existed, police officers would abandon the failing PFEW. With that in mind we want to start laying the foundations upon which a new, credible, and inclusive representative body can be built—one that:

· Has professionalism, transparency, and accountability as its driving principles.

· Offers welfare support and access to robust legal and protective insurance products.

· Reflects the diverse voices and needs of modern policing.

· Works collaboratively with national stakeholders to drive real reform.

How Your Contribution Helps

Your support will directly fund:

· Legal Fees: To challenge the Police Act 1967 and secure freedom of choice. We estimate the full cost of a legal challenge will be between £150,000 - £180,000. This is inclusive of the other sides costs should we be unsuccessful.

· Campaigning & Advocacy: To raise awareness, build momentum for reform and to continually seek a political resolution where possible.

· Support for Officers: Creating the legal change is one thing, but we also need a credible and viable alternative ready to go when that change happens. We will look to work with those who share our vision for change and seek to secure a range of services and protective insurance products. Our intention is that these offerings will be tailored to meet the demands and scrutiny placed upon police officers, providing vital wrap around protection and empowering them to be the best they can be.

All donations will be held in the Go Fund Me account until it is necessary to make legal payments and campaign contributions to cover costs. This ensures that if our milestones (to be published once legal advice secured and before the next fund-raising round) are not met, your donations can be returned to you via the platforms refund option.

All spending will be fully documented and aligned to our 3 objectives set out above. Spending will be published on a quarterly basis to maintain our commitment to transparency and trust.

As I hope you can see, this is not just about one legal case—it’s about building a movement for change and creating a viable police officer led alternative to PFEW.

Join Us in Making a Difference

If history is anything to go by, this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to reshape police representation. By contributing, you are helping to restore trust, fairness, and dignity to those who serve our communities.

· Donate: Every contribution counts.

· Share: Spread the word across your networks #BreakingTheMonopoly.

· Get Involved: Join our community of reformers by following us on our social networks.

Together, we can build an alternative to the PFEW, one that truly serves and protects its members.

Thank you for your support.