You can underestimate the damage lengthy investigations into conduct have on officers, says Federation Chairman

28 October 2019

Kent Police Federation Chairman Neil Mennie says that the damage caused by long-lasting IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) investigations into police officer conduct cannot be underestimated.

Neil says that this damage does not just have an effect on officers, but also on their family’s and colleagues’ wellbeing.

And whilst Neil police officers must be accountable, the process has too often taken excessive periods of time to conclude.

“After working for many years as a misconduct representative and specialising in this area there is always one question on a members mind almost immediately when served papers ‘How long will this take...?’

“This isn’t an unreasonable question but the answer is really hard to give.

“However, despite some improvements anything involving the IOPC tends to result in the expectation of ‘a very long time’”, Neil added.

Home Secretary Priti Patel recently announced that the IOPC could see deadlines imposed on their investigations into police officers in a bid to end the “injustice” of lengthy investigations which have often left officers in limbo.

The Police Federation of England and Wales is also launching a #TimeLimits campaign.

Neil has welcomed this stance and says that deadlines for investigations are not an irrational consideration.

“Officers are held to account and expected to achieve timelines usually with considerable workloads and it’s not unreasonable that timelines should be set for the IOPC.

“Some IOPC investigations do conclude in a reasonable amount of time and this can be positive.

“But when you are looking after police professionals who are usually managing strict timelines when dealing with victims and cases they often simply do not understand why the IOPC take so long”, Neil added.