Police vetting reforms to boost officer standards

Police chiefs will automatically sack officers who fail background checks from next month, allowing them to root out those who are unfit to serve and clean up their forces.

As part of major government reforms to improve confidence in policing, the new measures laid in Parliament today mean that passing background checks will become a legal requirement for all serving officers.

It will also create a new process to enable forces to remove officers who are unable to meet the vetting requirement, strengthening the ability of police chiefs to boost standards in their force and ensuring their officers can have confidence in the colleagues they work alongside.

This will help ensure that the police have the confidence of the communities they serve, supporting the government's work to make our streets safer across the country as part of the Plan for Change.

It is one of just many steps being taken by the government to take on the obstacles in the way of driving up standards in policing. Later in the year, further measures will be brought in to strengthen vetting national standards and ensure every force follows them, introduce stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls and ensure officers convicted of certain criminal offences are automatically found to have committed gross misconduct.

Officers can fail vetting for a number of reasons, including crimes like domestic and sexual abuse. While there are processes already in place for forces to deal with allegations of misconduct, failing vetting alone might not currently be enough to dismiss them. Recent legal challenges have brought to light the difficulty forces can have in removing officers who cannot hold vetting and are not fit to protect the public.

It can even mean they stay in the force on full pay, despite not being fit to be in a public-facing role. The government will not stand for this injustice, which erodes confidence in policing. That is why we are taking action to ensure officers face the full accountability the public expects.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper 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.

“Our Plan for Change is to rebuild standards and trust – officers of only the highest standards, with the tools and backing they need to do everything in their legal power to protect our neighbourhoods.”

National Police Chiefs' Council lead for vetting, Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, said:

"Police officers and staff should always be held to the highest standards and we must ensure that only those who are suitable to wear the uniform enter, and remain in policing.

“Alongside delivering vetting reform, we are working hard to build a culture where the public and colleagues feel empowered to report concerns and know that those concerns will be addressed and dealt with accordingly.

“We welcome the announcement today of statutory vetting regulations, 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 strengthened police dismissal system, which will be in force from 14 May, comes alongside wider progress the government is making in reforming the systems that hold police officers to account.

Notes to editors:

Additional supportive statement:

• Campaigner for SecureLife and the advocate for Raneem's Law, Nour Norris said:

“SecureLife has campaigned for years to bring about a new law that safeguards victims, reforms the police, and evolves a system that, for too long protected the wrong people. The new police vetting reform to boost officer standards is a vital action, one we've called for time and again.

“These reforms are not just progress, they are personal. They are part of what we at SecureLife have fought for, ever since my sister Khaola and my niece Raneem were taken from us. They were brave, they asked for help, and they were failed by a system that allowed officers who ignored their cries to remain in uniform. That failure was fatal.

“From 14 May, for the first time, officers who cannot pass vetting, many for serious issues like domestic and sexual abuse, can finally be removed. This is a major step toward the justice and protection victims deserve.

“The introduction of Raneem's Law alongside these measures sends a clear message: we will no longer tolerate silence, excuses, or inaction. The public deserves to trust the police, victims deserve to be protected, and officers must be held to the highest standard.

“Because a strong country needs a stronger force, one built on integrity, accountability, and the courage to change.

“This is for Raneem and Khaola. Two souls who should still be here. Their voices were silenced, but through these reforms, their legacy will speak for generations to come.”

Further detail

• Further measures announced by the government to rebuild public confidence in policing that will be implemented as soon as possible include:
• • Ensuring that officers convicted of certain criminal offences should automatically be found to have committed gross misconduct.
  • Creating a presumption of dismissal where there is a finding of gross misconduct.
  • Creating a presumption of fast-track hearings for former officers.
  • Streamlining the performance system for individual officers.
  • Introduce regulations to deliver on the government's manifesto commitments to put stronger vetting standards on a legislative footing by the end of 2025
  • Ensure violence against women and girls is not tolerated in policing with strengthened requirements on police forces to suspend officers under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual offences.