Federation Conduct Leads - "officers can't do more with less"

2 July 2018

GMP officers just don't have the time to keep the public updated about progress in cases, say Federation Conduct Leads Mike Peake and Lance Thomas - it's a symptom of not being able to do more with less. 

To see more from the GMP Federation 2017 Annual Report visit; http://online.pubhtml5.com/ncsw/tnbs/

"In 2017, officers in GMP simply could no longer do the job the public expects.

Historically in GMP, the leading category of complaints from the public was ‘Incivility’. But in 2017 – when officers really felt the pressure of Government cuts – there was a significant shift.

Alarmingly the leading complaint became: ‘Other Neglect/Failure in Duty’.

Officers in GMP simply no longer have the time in their busy day-to-day roles to progress enquiries or to keep members of the public updated in a timely manner. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that we can do more with less. Statistics do not lie.

On 15 December 2017, Regulation 10A (consent to resign or retire when under investigation for Gross Misconduct), was removed. However, officers simply cannot walk away. Safeguards have been put in place: the Police Advisory and Barred Lists.

Police Advisory List

This list is intended to act as a vetting tool for forces and other specified law enforcement bodies in order to flag up individuals who are currently under investigation for matters which could lead to dismissal.

Whilst it does not act as an absolute bar on employment or appointment within policing, it does provide an additional level of accountability.

Police Barred List

The police barred list is a statutory-approved list which acts as a bar on working within policing and certain law enforcement bodies.

The intention is to ensure that those who do not meet the high standards required of the police service are not able to continue to work within policing.

Any individual who is dismissed from a position within policing is included on the barred list as a result of their dismissal.

 IOPC

On 31 January 2017, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 was passed, to simplify and streamline the complaints system. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) became the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC will no longer have a Commission structure. At the head of the organisation will be a Director General, supported by Deputies, Regional Directors and a Director for Wales.

Although there are structural changes in how the IOPC will operate, we as a Federation should not see any changes in the way that we deal with the IOPC or how we represent our members during IOPC investigations."