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 . The move is expected to save £1billion over the next five years, but critics say it could lead to more police being forced into redundancy or even leaving the service altogether.