Police Federation Chief Arrested in Major Fraud Probe Over Alleged Abuse of Position

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) was rocked on Wednesday, 4 March, following the arrest of three individuals on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position. One of them was identified as Mukund Krishna, the PFEW chief executive.

The 46-year-old Krishna has served as the PFEW chief executive since 2024. He was arrested at his Surrey home on Wednesday by detectives from the City of London Police, The Guardian reported.

Who Was Mukund Krishna?

Krishna was known to be the brains behind the ouster of powerful local leaders. He received a salary and bonuses that were roughly worth £320,000 annually.

However, it appears that other alleged earnings were what did him in. He allegedly received a 100 per cent bonus retention payment and a five per cent contribution of £17,000 to his pension each year. Summing it all up, Krishna's total pay is roughly £1.4 million across 2024 and 2025.

In all, his total remuneration means he gets a pay cheque that is twice what Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley gets. Further, it was four times more than what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer receives.

As for the other two officials who were arrested, their identities have yet to be divulged. The only information given was that one was a 51-year-old man from Wales while the other was a 55-year-old man from Bristol.

Allegations of fraud by abuse of position were allegedly made to authorities more than a year ago. The Police Federation vowed to cooperate with the investigation and explained it would be appropriate to issue only a statement for now.

'We are aware that three individuals connected to the Police Federation have been arrested as part of an ongoing police investigation. This is a live matter and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. The organisation is cooperating fully with the relevant authorities,' a federation spokesperson said in an official statement.

Why Things Got Heated for Krishna

Known as a management consultant, the 2023 appointment of Krishna as PFEW Chief Operating Officer raised several questions. One of them included him not being a police officer, although he spent about 15 years working within the UK criminal justice system.

However, it was when he removed two branch chairmen that put him on the spot. He relieved Rick Prior, a former head of the Met Police Federation. He sacked Prior after warning him that some of his members had grown nervous about challenging people from some ethnic minorities.

Also, Cooke was removed as chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation for comments he posted online suggesting that his force was institutionally racist.

The High Court deemed the suspensions to be unlawful and in violation of the rights of Prior and Cooke to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Moving forward, the Domestic Corruption Unit is calling on anyone who can provide additional information on the case. They are calling on current and former employees, representatives, and the public to come forward concerning the fraud by abuse of position case involving Krishna and other recently arrested individuals.