Police officers in England and Wales who fail background checks will be automatically sacked under rules coming into force to improve confidence in policing.
Measures will be introduced to parliament on Wednesday that will make it a legal requirement for serving officers to pass vetting procedures.
It will also mean police chiefs will be able to get rid of officers unfit to serve from next month. The move comes after Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police force, accused officials of dragging their feet on giving bosses stronger powers to sack rogue officers.
Rowley said in February that it was “absurd” that officers who were not fit to hold vetting could not be lawfully sacked. The Home Office said the changes followed recent legal challenges which “brought to light” the difficulty forces could have removing officers who were unfit to protect the public.
In February, a Met officer accused of sexual offences, Sergeant Lino Di Maria, successfully mounted a legal challenge after having his vetting removed over the allegations, which he denies.
He was found to have no case to answer in respect of misconduct allegations, and argued that having his vetting removed without the accusations being proved was a breach of his right to a fair trial.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said: “In recent years, serious cases which have badly failed all proper policing standards have damaged public trust in the officers who are supposed to protect them, and undermined the majority of brave, committed officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe.
“It is simply not acceptable that officers who are clearly unfit to serve or pose a risk to their colleagues cannot be removed. That’s why these new rules are essential and it is why this government has been working closely with forces to overcome these barriers to restore confidence in policing.”
The reformed police dismissal system will come into force from 14 May. National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vetting, the chief constable Alex Franklin-Smith, backed the changes which “provide clear routes for action to remove individuals who fall below the high standards the public and our workforce rightly expect and deserve”.
The Home Office plans to introduce further safeguards to improve national standards for vetting later this year, including stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.
Officers convicted of certain criminal offences will also be automatically found guilty of gross misconduct.
While there are existing processes for forces to deal with allegations of misconduct, failing vetting may not be enough to sack officers. Officers can fail vetting for a number of reasons, including for domestic and sexual abuse. In some circumstances, those who do not pass the suitability checks but cannot be sacked can stay in the force on full pay.
Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, welcomed the move. “Ensuring officers are legally required to pass their background checks and providing police chiefs with the ability to remove individuals who aren’t fit to serve are positive first steps as we start to rebuild public trust in the force,” she said.
“I look forward to seeing the government support these measures by introducing the statutory requirement for officers to hold adequate vetting, including re-vetting them when they transfer between forces, as soon as possible.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the measures, adding that the new powers would give the Met leadership “the authority to automatically sack officers” who fail the checks and “ensure that anyone who fails vetting can no longer serve in the force”.
Source: theguardian.com
