Colleagues
You may have seen news yesterday about new measures being laid in Parliament regarding the police vetting process.
The government laid new measures yesterday which mean that passing background checks will become a legal requirement for all serving officers. This will also create a new process to enable chief officers to remove officers who are unable to meet the vetting requirement. The government said this will help ensure that the police have the confidence of the communities they serve, supporting the government’s work to make our streets safer across the country as part of the Plan for Change.
Further measures announced by the government to rebuild public confidence in policing that will be implemented as soon as possible include:
Ensuring that officers convicted of certain criminal offences should automatically be found to have committed gross misconduct.
Creating a presumption of dismissal where there is a finding of gross misconduct.
Creating a presumption of fast-track hearings for former officers.
Streamlining the performance system for individual officers.
Introduce regulations to deliver on the government’s manifesto commitments to put stronger vetting standards on a legislative footing by the end of 2025
Ensure violence against women and girls is not tolerated in policing with strengthened requirements on police forces to suspend officers under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual offences.
PFEW has responded with the following statement, which recognises the clarity this change brings, but also makes clear that there must be a fair, lawful and transparent process in place, with decisions made on evidence and not suspicion. We will be monitoring closely. There is currently no Home Office Guidance to go alongside these regulations. These are being worked on, but it is unlikely we will see them for consultation until the summer. That will however be an opportunity to look to shape their interpretation of the Regs.
“We will study these new measures in detail. It’s important that Police officers have clarity on an issue that continues to cause stress and anxiety. Being a police officer subjects those who take and uphold the oath to an unparalleled level of internal and external scrutiny. All they want is a fair, legal and just process based on evidence, not allegation.
"Without the highest levels of trust in the process, there is a danger that public and police officer confidence will continue to erode. Any changes must not undermine the working trust between officers and the police leadership in general. Given that a police officer’s entire career is at stake, it is absolutely essential that the vetting system includes a robust, fair and independent appeals process.”
PFEW National Communications
Police Federation of England and Wales
Ffederasiwn Heddlu Lloegr a Cymru
