Ex-Police Federation head John Apter tells tribunal he “challenged” inappropriate banter amongst officers

John Apter is accused of three allegations of gross misconduct, including saying that he would like to “comfort” Pc Andrew Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, in his hotel room, shortly before she collected a posthumous award on behalf of her late husband.

The former head of the Police Federation of England and Wales is also accused of making an inappropriate comment about a female pregnant colleague and touching the bottom of a woman during a night out in London.

When asked by Cecily White about suggestions of “hypocrisy” at the Federation, where banter was criticised publicly but was carried out regularly “behind closed doors”, Mr Apter, who retired as a Pc in 2022, said he “did not recognise that”.

Mr Apter, 55, told the hearing at Hampshire Constabulary’s strategic headquarters in Eastleigh: “There is banter that crosses the line and (there is) good-humoured joking with colleagues in a reciprocal way.

“I have always been firm, behaviour that crosses the line doesn’t have a place in policing. Maybe culturally a decade or so ago it was different, but I challenged it.

“I have said very publicly about misogyny and banter, I stand by every word. Of course, if I would hear banter, if anything was said, I would challenge it but that isn’t something I recognise as happening on a regular basis.”

When asked by Cecily White, representing the appropriate authority, Hampshire Constabulary, if he denied making the comment about Mrs Harper, Mr Apter said: “One hundred per cent.”

Pc Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019, just four weeks after getting married. Mrs Harper was made an MBE in 2022 for her campaign to strengthen the law in his memory, which was known as Harper’s Law.

He said that he accepted making a comment about wanting to support Mrs Harper, but denied saying anything with a sexual innuendo, even as a joke. Mr Apter said that he had spoken about providing support for Mrs Harper “in the context of my serious concern about her emotional wellbeing”.

He added: “It’s a disgusting allegation which is deeply offensive, so no, absolutely not, that I could have said such a thing in a sexual way. I didn’t say it, I would never say such a thing, with colleagues or in private.”

Mr Apter has denied saying in 2019, to a pregnant Police Federation colleague, “maybe you’ll get a bum now”.

When asked if he had said the words, he said: “Absolutely no, in no circumstances, especially given my work relationship with her.” And when asked if someone else had said it, he said: “If someone said it, I would challenge it.”

Mr Apter also denies that he touched the bottom of a woman, referred to as Female A, at a restaurant, while visiting London for the National Police Bravery Awards in December 2021, before asking her: “Is that OK?”

He said that his hand had “absolutely not” touched her bottom, but he had scratched her upper back after he thought she had scratched her back against the wall behind their bench seating.

When asked why he felt he had been made the subject of the allegations, Mr Apter, who was elected national chairman of the Police Federation in August 2018, said: “It’s painful to say as I had good working relationships with people, but at times I had to challenge and that wasn’t well-received.

“I can only imagine people’s motivations for saying such wicked and untrue things and it’s been incredibly damaging.”

The hearing continues.