New conduct regulations are an opportunity to change the culture in policing, says Federation Chairman

19 February 2020

The new Conduct and Performance regulations are a “huge opportunity to change the culture in policing”, according to Kent Police Federation.

The regulations came into effect on 1 February, and aim to ensure that complaints made against the police are dealt with quickly, effectively and proportionately, with a greater emphasis on learning from mistakes.

Kent Police Federation Chairman Neil Mennie said: “This is probably the most significant change in police regulations since the Taylor Report. It’s a huge opportunity to change the culture in policing and to apply learning outcomes rather than putting officers through the misconduct process, where it’s appropriate.

“We know that it stresses officers out. Sometimes investigations can take a long time. If we get to the point where the officers trust the process and it’s administered correctly and properly, it’s going to be a huge benefit to our members.”

Neil said he felt positive about the training that was going on in Kent, and that the professional standards department were keen to stop some of those issues that would have become misconduct instead being dealt with through learning.

He added that any member who finds themselves in the ‘requires improvement’ process should still seek Federation advice.

“We have a responsibility as a Federation to fully brief the members, help them understand what this process is, what this process isn’t – ie it’s a learning process, not a punitive process. It’s really important to make that distinction.”