Police Federation of England Wales chair John Apter suspended in sexual misconduct allegations probe

The chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been suspended amid an investigation by the police watchdog into allegations of sexual misconduct.

John Apter has been suspended from his role and from duty by Hampshire Police while the probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) takes place.

The PFEW said in a statement, "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.

"They were also advised they are subject to criminal investigation, for sexual touching contrary to section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in relation to two of those alleged incidents."

John Apter was elected chair of the PFEW in May 2018.

The organisation represents more than 130,000 officers.