Kent Police Federation reacts to the NPCC trying to turn misconduct hearings into ‘kangaroo courts’

22 November 2021

Kent Police Federation Chair Neil Mennie reacts to the NPCC trying to turn misconduct hearings into ‘kangaroo courts’

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.

Reacting, Neil said: “We have seen a great deal of reform in police misconduct and the introduction of a panel with a legally qualified chair is important for the very reason of having a large degree of independence.

“The idea that it should be ‘guided’ and influenced before the process has even started is quite simply unfair. I am not sure on what the need for this is in the first place. One would suspect that hearings have had outcomes where the powers that be ‘don’t like the result’ and of course an appeal process already exists.

“Special case Hearings (Accelerated) have their place but this should be reserved where the evidence is pretty much non-contestable.

“There is ample opportunity and given the somewhat pedestrian speed of hearings and investigations currently to allow for material to be submitted and considered by the panel on its own merit.

“The system isn’t perfect and not helped by the lack of panels and investigators but lets not start nibbling at the fairness and fabric of the process.”