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

22 November 2021

Surrey Police Federation Chair Mel Warnes 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, Mel said: “The current process for officer misconduct is a fair and transparent way of dealing with officers.

“This enables evidence to be heard in an independent and fair way involving  legally qualified individuals alongside police and the public to determine the outcome on the evidence presented.

“There are already Police Regulations in place for accelerated hearings when the evidence is irrefutable and these do take place at the relevant times they should.

“There is no need at all for Chiefs to interfere with the panel who will hear and judge the evidence provided to them. Any prior interference will lead to a less transparent process and will not be fair to all parties involved, police or the public.”