Cleveland Police Federation reacts to NPCC trying to police misconduct hearings into ‘kangaroo courts’

22 November 2021

Cleveland Police Federation Secretary and Conduct and Performance Lead Richie Murray reacts to the NPCC trying to turn police misconduct hearings into ‘kangaroo courts’

Richie said: “In his keynote speech at the APCC & NPCC Partnership Summit 2021, NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt told delegates it has asked all Chief Constables to chair more accelerated hearings, “wherever the grounds are met, to swiftly determine the facts”, and to make submissions to Legally Qualified Chairs “wherever appropriate, so that sanctions always meet the gravity of an offence.”

“Chiefs have also been advised by the NPCC to seek judicial reviews where dismissal is not the outcome, and it wants the College of Policing guidance amended. The Federation believes this is to influence dismissals and hamstring panels.

“As the Cleveland Police Federation Secretary and Conduct and Performance I find these comments worrying. We all agree that these processes should be open and transparent but also a fair process with the rights of the officer taken into consideration.

“We already have a fair and transparent system in place with independent panels consisting of both officers and members of the public including a Legally qualified chair.

“These comments made leave us under the impression chiefs want to hamstring and hinder this process so they can rig outcomes in order to suit their agenda. This cannot be right nor fair.

“It is great to see that they recognise that the process needs to be quicker, we will be working with our own Chief constable to ensure the process remains a fair.”