‘Police dismissals review must look at prolonged investigations’
23 November 2022
A Home Office review of police dismissals must address the unfairness of lengthy misconduct cases against officers, says West Midlands Police Federation conduct lead George McDonnell.
George, speaking ahead of a two-day seminar for the Federation’s conduct and performance leads from across England and Wales, was responding to the news that the Home Office will carry out an internal review to ‘raise standards and confidence’ in policing.
He explained: “I am the first to welcome the removal of those officers who do not uphold the standards of professional behaviour expected of us all. Those who disgrace their uniform are not only letting down their colleagues but the public as well – there is no place for them in the police service.
“I would stress, however, that the vast majority of police officers are decent and hard-working individuals who are doing a high-pressured job in difficult circumstances and committed to serving their communities. They should not be unfairly judged due to the actions of a small minority.”
He continued: “The nature of the job and the people we deal with means there will always be malicious claims made against officers. It is right that these are investigated but it must be fair and proportionate and I’m afraid we have seen, on too many occasions, prolonged investigations lasting months or years. This takes a terrible toll on the officer’s mental wellbeing and takes them away from the job, adding to the pressure on colleagues who must pick up the slack.
“These inquiries also do little to give the public confidence in the police conduct processes.”
The Home Office review is likely to consider:
- The effectiveness of the existing system to dismiss those who fall seriously short of the standards expected by policing and the public
- The impact of the introduction of changes to misconduct panels, including legally qualified chairs
- Whether forces are making use of their powers to discharge officers during their probationary period.
Working with policing partners, it will also assess whether the regulatory framework for the police disciplinary system should be changed.
The Government introduced public misconduct hearings in 2015, legally qualified chairs to lead conduct panels in 2016 and the Police Barred List in 2017 to ensure that officers and staff who are dismissed cannot re-join the police.
Jon Nott, who is a member of the branch’s conduct and performance committee, is representing West Midlands Police Federation at the national seminar which is being held in Birmingham today and tomorrow.
