Successor to outgoing chairman Paul McKeever set to be chosen in September

Two Fed heavyweights are among the candidates to be the next chairman of the Police Federation, PoliceOracle.com understands.

Simon Reed, who is the association’s Vice-Chairman, and Steve Williams, General Secretary of the Inspectors’ Central Committee, are understood to be going for the job.

¬It is so important to get this right - we need a strong leader to guide us through these troubled times.¬

An election will take place in the first week of September. Paul McKeever (pictured) announced in July he would be retiring in January after more than four years in the role.

Mr Reed, a constable with Bedfordshire Police, has been vice-chairman of the Fed for four years. Mr Williams is an inspector from North Wales Police who also heads the Fed National Detective Forum.

A senior source in the staff association told PoliceOracle.com: “The jostling to secure votes is well underway. It could be anyone's job. It is so important to get this right - we need a strong leader to guide us through these troubled times."

Members of the Federation's Joint Central Committee - 30 representatives from across England and Wales from the federated ranks - will vote for the new chairman at their meeting in Leatherhead in September.

Mr Reed became a fed rep in 1993 and joined the Constables Central Committee in June 2000. He was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Federation in May 2008.

Mr Williams joined the Police Service in 1984 in Rhyl, North Wales after working in the banking sector. He has been a national fed rep since March 2009. He is also the JCC lead on Welsh policing.

Mr McKeever, a sergeant with the Met, joined the service in 1977. He replaced Jan Berry as Fed chairman in 2008.