Largest integrity police screening: Suffolk cops in the clear

31 January 2024

Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris has welcomed the largest integrity screening undertaken by policing as a chance to build trust in the service.

The records of 307,452 police officers, staff and volunteers were checked against the Police National Database (PND) - a data store of operational policing information and intelligence provided by individual forces.

In Suffolk, 1,396 officers, 1,101 staff, and 222 volunteers were checked, with all 2,719 people having no concerns against them.

Darren said: “A lot of work goes into vetting and checking the suitability of officers that come into our Force, and once they’re in Force we must do all we can to root out any bad apples and preserve the integrity of our service.

“This screening process is the largest such project undertaken in UK policing and is a welcome step in helping to build trust and confidence in our communities.

“The results underline the fact that our members are incredibly professional and incredibly dedicated officers who want to serve and protect our communities in Suffolk.

“But we can’t be complacent, and we need to ensure that we’re doing all we can to maintain the highest levels of standards and integrity.

“Corrupt officers have no place in policing.”

Nationally, 461 of the 307,452 people screened were referred to an appropriate authority and of these, nine triggered further criminal investigation; 88 triggered disciplinary investigation; 139 triggered vetting clearance; 128 triggered management intervention and 97 required no further action.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair said: “The cross-checking of records on such a large scale was a significant task which shows our commitment right across policing to identify 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.

“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.”

Steve Hartshorn, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), called on the NPCC to conduct this work every year.

He said: “This news from the National Police Chiefs’ Council comes as a positive, reassuring sign that the overwhelming majority of police officers, staff and volunteers are fit for the job and have been assessed to be so.

"For effective policing we need the confidence of the public, so such a large-scale nationwide exercise, reported openly will go further to rebuilding confidence in policing.

“Public trust can only be won by carrying out such exercises and being seen to do so.

“Transparency is key, and so it is reassuring to see that less than 0.15 per cent of records highlighted needed referral to an appropriate authority, and with one fifth of these needing no further action; but this is still too high, and we must continue to root out those who are unfit to serve the public.

"This is why I call on the NPCC to conduct this work every year so that those who do not deserve to be in policing know they have no place to hide, they will be identified, and action will be taken.

“This work is vital to our reputation and our future, and will go on to reassure the public that they can depend on us and trust the officers, volunteers and police staff that they come into contact with.”