Fed chair says changes to dismissal process are a backward step

1 September 2023

Controversial changes to the police dismissal process changes are a backward step which will do little to improve officer morale or restore public trust, Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris has warned.

Darren spoke out after the Home Office announced police officers in England and Wales will face automatic dismissal if found guilty of gross misconduct.

Chief constables or other senior officers will have greater powers to root out and sack rogue officers as part of a major overhaul which will see them once again preside over misconduct hearings.

They will also have the right to challenge decisions while law changes will make sure officers who fail vetting checks can be sacked on the spot.

Darren said: “These changes to the disciplinary process effectively make chief constables the judge and jury in misconduct cases and that feels like a real backward step.

“The existing procedures are not perfect but they give our members the chance to state their case before an independent panel while crucial decisions are left to legal experts from outside the Force.

“Scrapping that system seems grossly unfair and leaves any of our members who are subject to misconduct allegations in an extremely vulnerable position.

“Police officers have very few employment rights because of their status as crown servants and the protections they are entitled to have now been very seriously diminished.”

The Home Office said the changes were designed to help rebuild public trust and confidence in the wake of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick scandals.

But Darren said the response was out of proportion to the actions of a small number of rogue officers.

He said: “The vast majority of our members are honest, decent, hard-working men and women who don’t deserve to have their rights removed in this way.

“We all want robust vetting to identify and remove undesirable individuals from the police service but there has to be a fair balance.

“Our members are entitled to fair and transparent disciplinary processes which do allow individual bias to influence decisions which could have serious consequences on an individual’s career and wellbeing.

“This will come as yet another blow to police morale and it is unclear how a demoralised workforce is going to help improve public trust and confidence.”

Policing minister Chris Philp insisted the new measures struck “the right balance” and ensured a fair process with officers having the right to appeal to the Police Appeals Tribunal.

But John Bassett, a barrister representing the National Association of Legally Qualified Chairs, speaking in a personal capacity, said he was “disappointed” by the proposals and branded them a "fudge" which do not address the issues.

He said the current system was “open, transparent and fair process” and warned that without having independent lawyers leading a disciplinary panel, police chiefs would be “marking their own homework”.