- Officers who are unable to hold minimum vetting clearance
will face dismissal proceedings
- Officers will be checked to see if they have been dismissed
from other forces
- Vetting code of practice revised to highlight responsibility
of police chiefs to uphold standards in their forces
Vetting standards for police officers have been bolstered under
new standards introduced by the Home Office and College of
Policing today (Thursday 20 July).
By updating the College of Policing’s Vetting Code of Practice,
police chiefs are being given additional tools to root out
officers unfit to serve the public.
The Code provides clarity that failure to hold minimum vetting
clearance should lead to dismissal proceedings and an officer’s
vetting should be reviewed following the conclusion of misconduct
proceedings that do not end in a dismissal.
The Code also makes clear that the Barred and Advisory Lists must
be checked as part of the vetting process, ensuring any officers
who have previously been dismissed cannot re-join the police.
These changes all build on processes set out in the College of
Policing’s guidance on vetting.
This comes as the Home Secretary asked the College of Policing to
strengthen the Vetting Code of Practice following concerns raised
by the shocking case of David Carrick earlier this year, with the
update making clear there is an expectation that Chief Constables
are responsible for holding their forces to these high vetting
standards.
The Home Secretary said:
“The sickening cases of David Carrick and Wayne Couzens made
clear the need for vetting practices that are effective and
consistent in identifying those not fit to serve.
“Improving the standards of our officers is key to the common
sense policing the public expect, and that is why I asked the
College of Policing to urgently strengthen police vetting.
“By making clear that police chiefs are expected to enforce these
high standards, we will see the top-down culture change that is
crucial to rebuilding public confidence.”
Chief Constable Andy Marsh, College of Policing CEO,
said:
“The dreadful crimes committed by police officers and staff
exposed over recent months are compounded by the fact some of
them flew under the radar because opportunities to detect them
were missed.
“The Code provides chief officers with clear expectations on what
action is required to improve standards and consistency in police
vetting units. It is paramount that the public have total
confidence in our ability to find officers who do not belong in
our ranks and the greater oversight being proposed by the College
will help deliver that.
“Vetting will only ever be one part of the jigsaw and we must
redouble our efforts to improve police culture. There are
thousands of hardworking, dedicated officers who put themselves
in harm’s way to protect the public. Our new leadership training,
a refreshed Code of Ethics and our work with forces to improve
the response to violence against women and girls will provide
further help.”
The revised Code of Practice sets out 18 expectations of chief
officers including the requirement for re-joiners to be fully
re-vetted, and for forces to provide all relevant information on
an officer transferring to another forces so no-one falls through
the gaps. All vetting cases where issues have been raised will
have this flagged on police systems, ensuring all details that
have been considered in the process of vetting are clearly
identifiable.
Chief Constable Debbie Tedds, NPCC Vetting lead:
“Policing welcomes the updated Code of Practice which will
further improve consistency and ensure vetting always meets the
highest standards. We are committed to ensuring those who do not
meet the required levels and are not fit to represent the service
are prevented from entering or remaining in policing."
The focus on improving vetting standards also follows His
Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Service’s
(HMICFRS) report on vetting, misconduct and misogyny in policing,
which recommended that the Vetting Code of Practice should be
amended to provide clarity on some areas of concern, whilst also
highlighting that issues in vetting predominantly lie with
current vetting standards not being adhered to, rather than the
framework itself.
The updated Vetting Code of Practice is one part of the
government’s drive to rebuild standards in policing. The Home
Secretary is also launching a review into the police dismissals
process to ensure it is as effective as possible at removing
unfit officers, whilst the Angiolini Inquiry will look at
uncovering any further systemic issues in policing we need to
address.
The Code of Practice was laid in Parliament today (Thursday 20
July) and will come into force immediately.
