The Police Federation of England & Wales has released a short statement following the news that John Apter, its national chair, has been suspended from Hampshire Constabulary.
Mr Apter, who represents 130,000 rank-and-file officers in England and Wales, faces a probe by the IOPC after being accused of ‘sexual impropriety.’
Yesterday, 20th December, the high-profile officer was asked to hand his warrant card to DPS officers from his home force, Hampshire Police.
Mr Apter had been due to stand down as chairman of the PFEW next April.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the PFEW said:
‘We have been informed that the National Chair of the Police Federation has been suspended from duty by Hampshire Police whilst an investigation is undertaken.
‘As a result, he is also currently suspended from his current PFEW role.
‘PFEW has acted as swiftly as possible in conjunction with the force.
‘The investigation is being undertaken by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
‘We are unable to comment on this matter until the investigation has concluded.
‘National Vice-Chair Ché Donald will be fulfilling all PFEW commitments in this area until further notice.’
An IOPC spokesman said:
‘We can confirm that, on Friday, December, 17 we received a referral relating to a police constable from Hampshire constabulary and we have started an independent investigation.
‘On Monday, December 20, the officer was served with a notice of investigation for potential breaches of police professional standards relating to four separate alleged incidents.’
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