'Plebgate' police officers threaten public trust in the police, Theresa May warns Home Secretary demands an apology for the former Tory chief whip Mr Mitchell denies calling Downing Street officers 'plebs' last year A year ago he met Police Federation members to give his account of row But they claimed he had not come clean and called for his resignation Independent Police Complaints Commission: 'It raises issues of honesty' Public trust in the police is under threat after officers tried to stitch-up a Cabinet minister, the Home Secretary warned today. In a dramatic intervention in the row with police,Theresa May demanded an apology from officers accused of misrepresenting Andrew Mitchell after a crunch meeting in the wake of the "plebgate" row which forced his resignation. Mrs May said a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission which said the officers" behaviour after the meeting "raised issue of honesty and integrity" made for 'troubling reading'. Fury: Home Secretary Theresa May, pictured in Downing Street today, hit out at officers who tried to stitch-up Andrew Mitchell following a meeting called in the wake of 'Plebgate' The latest row centres on a high-profile meeting in October last year between Mr Mitchell and the Police Federation seen as a last-ditch chance to save his job. It followed claims he called officers guarding Downing Street "plebs" when they refused to let him ride his bicycle through the main gates - something he has strongly denied. Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones were accused of deliberately misrepresenting what Mr Mitchell said in a meeting at his Sutton Coldfield constituency office held in the wake of the so-called "plebgate" affair. Mr Mitchell made clear to the officers exactly what he said during the altercation, but Mr MacKaill told journalists after the meeting that the senior was 'continuing to refuse to elaborate on what happened'. They are accused of pursuing a political campaign against Mr Mitchell in protest at government spending cuts. The IPCC said West Mercia Police were wrong to conclude that the Police Federation representatives from West Mercia, West Midlands and Warwickshire forces had no case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct. On October 12 last year Andrew Mitchell met three members of the Police Federation to discuss the 'Plebgate' case. A tape recording of the reveals Mr Mitchell going to great lengths to explain what happened in Downing Street. He said: 'I did not say and I give you my word, I give you my word, I did not call an officer an f'ing pleb I did not say you are an f'ing moron and I did not say you should know your f'ing place. I would never speak to anyone like that least of all a police officer and you have my word I never said those things. Later in the meeting, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton, of Warwickshire Police, said to Mr Mitchell: 'I appreciate your candour, and we appreciate you have gone beyond what you said in, to the media.' But minutes later outside the meeting, Inspector Ken MacKaill, from West Mercia Police, accused Mr Mitchell of refusing to give any more detail of the incident. Mr MacKaill said: 'I think Mr Mitchell has no option but to resign. He is continuing to refuse to elaborate on what happened. I think his position is untenable. Mr May said it was 'quite wrong' of West Mercia Police not to take disciplinary proceedings against the three officers. She told the Home Affairs Select Committee: 'The IPCC statement makes troubling reading.' Asked if the chief constable of West Mercia Police should apologise to Mr Mitchell, Mrs May said: 'I think that would be appropriate.' Mrs May added: 'The police need the trust of the public. These sorts of incident will strike at the heart of that issue of trust. For many members of the public, they will actually say, well, here was somebody who was a Member of Parliament, who had been a Cabinet minister, and yet this has happened for that individual and what chance is there for a member of the public? The IPCC deputy chairwoman Deborah Glass said she is powerless to direct misconduct proceedings because Mr Mitchell has chosen not to make a formal complaint. In a statement Mr Mitchell said: "It is a matter of deep concern that the police forces employing these officers have concluded that their conduct has not brought the police service into disrepute. Most people will disagree. It is a decision which will undermine confidence in the ability of the police to investigate misconduct when the reputation of the police service as a whole is at stake. My family and I have waited nearly a year for these police officers to be held to account and for an apology from the Police Forces involved. It seems we have waited in vain. Mr Mitchell met the Police Federation representatives after he was accused of calling officers guarding Downing Street "plebs" in a foul-mouthed rant as he cycled through the main gates on September 19 last year. The former Tory chief whip insisted he did not use the words attributed to him, and later said he was the victim of a deliberate attempt to "toxify" the Tories and ruin his career. West Mercia Police found that, although the Police Federation contributed to the pressure on Mr Mitchell and his decision to resign, none of the officers had a case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct. Showdown: Mr Mitchell met members of the Police Federation in his Sutton Coldfield constituency in October last year, but they called for him to resign soon after Doubts: CCTV footage of the original exchange between Mr Mitchell and police officers at the gates of Downing Street raised questions about the official police log Eight people including five police officers have been arrested as part of the Operation Alice investigation into what happened during the 'Plebate' row. September 19, 2012: Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell leaves Downing Street buts gets into a row with police officers who refuse to let him ride his bike through the main gates September 20: The Sun reports that the official police log of the incident says Mr Mitchell called officers 'f***ing plebs' September 21: Mr Mitchell apologises for losing his temper but denies using the word 'plebs' October 12: Mr Mitchell meets Police Federation to clear the air but officers call for his resignation October 19: Mr Mitchell resigns December 15: A police office is arrested on suspicion of misconduct December 18: CCTV emerges of the Downing Street incident which casts doubt on the official police log account December 19: A 23-year-old man is arrested. A month later two police officers are held, with more arrests to follow October 3: Police pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service on the eight people arrested in connection with the 'Plebgate' row In a damning verdict, Ms Glass said a misconduct panel should be held to determine whether the three officers gave a false account in a deliberate attempt to discredit Mr Mitchell in pursuit of a wider agenda. She said: "In my opinion, the evidence indicates an issue of honesty and integrity, not merely naive or poor professional judgment. In the media and political climate of the day, I do not consider that the officers could have been in any doubt about the impact of their public statements on the pressure being brought on Mr Mitchell. As police officers, they had a responsibility to present a fair and accurate picture. Their motive seems plain: they were running a successful, high-profile, anti-cuts campaign and the account that he provided to them did not fit with their agenda. Ms Glass said the federation representatives must have known Mr Mitchell was under pressure to resign his post as chief whip following scenes at the Conservative Party conference at which Federation members were seen wearing "PC Pleb" T-shirts. She said: "It was clear that the parties had very different agendas for the meeting. Mr Mitchell saw it as an attempt to clear the air, while the officers focused on Mr Mitchell's 'version of events' - that is what happened in the Downing Street incident on September 19 when Mr Mitchell was alleged to have called police officers 'f****** plebs'. A statement from Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands Police said the IPCC chose not to exercise powers that would have allowed it to order the three forces to hold misconduct proceedings It said: "Despite a thorough investigation under the supervision of the IPCC, we do not believe that there is sufficient evidence to support the view that the officers concerned should face misconduct proceedings. Our view is that the officers have demonstrated poor judgment in arranging and attending the meeting in the first place. In light of this, our position is that management action is a proportionate response. Asked if David Cameron thought disciplinary action should be taken against the three officers, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told a daily Westminster media briefing: 'These are decisions for the relevant authorities. It is very necessary that the proper processes are followed so that we get to the bottom of things. That is absolutely right. But there are authorities with the authority to take decisions around these types of things and it is not for politicians to get involved in the taking of those decisions.