Chair hopes screening project will help to restore confidence in policing

24 January 2024

The chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation says he hopes results of the largest integrity screening project undertaken in policing will help to rebuild trust in the service.

Luke Mitchell’s comments refer to a study conducted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which saw more than 307,000 officers, staff and volunteers checked against the Police National Database (PND).

The PND contains copies of locally held police records covering intelligence, crime, custody, child protection and domestic abuse investigations.

Of those who were screened, 2310 were Hertfordshire Police Officers, eight of whom were either subject to a vetting clearance review, management intervention or other action.

“It’s no secret that trust and confidence in policing is at an all-time low. I hope that publishing these results will help to restore faith in policing,” said Luke.

“I speak for everyone in Hertfordshire Federation when I say that there is no place at all for corrupt officers within the Force and such behaviour will not be tolerated. Sadly, the actions of the minority tarnish the reputation of so many more hard-working cops - which is why we completely support identifying those non-deserving officers and getting them out of the service.”

The PND was set up in 2011 to share intelligence between forces, following an inquiry into the 2003 killings of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

Nationally, the records of 307,452 officers, staff and volunteers have now been checked against six billion entries on the PND, with a total of 306,991 individuals of no concern.

Less than 0.15 per cent of records needed to be referred to an appropriate authority, with one-fifth of these needing no further action.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, transparency is key to building bridges with the public,” continued Luke, adding: “And projects just like this are vital to that transparency.”

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair said that while ‘the cross-checking of records on such a large scale was a significant task’ it demonstrated their commitment to ‘identifying those who do not meet the high standards expected’.

“Police forces responded with urgency, enabling us to carry out the largest integrity screening project that policing has ever seen,” he said.

“Despite the comparatively low numbers of returns, the exercise was important in ensuring we have a strong foundation on which to build an automated process.

“We look forward to working with our colleagues across Government and policing to make this a reality.

“I hope that it gives further reassurance to communities, and to colleagues in policing, that the overwhelming majority of the workforce can be trusted, and that if you are involved in wrongdoing, there is no place to hide.”

You can view the results here.