The publication of the government response
today marks the second anniversary of the Panel’s report being
published.
The Panel was established by the government in 2013 to look into
the circumstances surrounding Daniel Morgan’s murder in 1987 and
the police handling of the case.
The Panel’s report shone a light on examples of corrupt behaviour
throughout the investigations into Daniel’s murder which
irreparably damaged the chances of a successful prosecution. Most
of the recommendations were for policing, however there were
several for the government to address.
In her written ministerial statement laid in Parliament today,
the Home Secretary acknowledged the progress that has been made
by policing, and the Metropolitan Police, in addressing the
Panel’s recommendations, but made clear that more must be done to
repair the damage to public trust caused by the handling of
Daniel’s case.
The Home Secretary said:
The Independent Panel’s report was sobering, and for Daniel
Morgan’s family to know that corruption denied them the justice
they deserve is simply not acceptable.
There have been serious failures of culture and leadership in the
Metropolitan Police, and I have been clear that restoring trust
and getting the basics right must be a priority for the
Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
I am also driving forward work to ensure culture, standards and
behaviour across policing is improved at all levels, including
reviewing the dismissals process and strengthening vetting to
root out those not fit to serve.
The government’s response covers 4 key themes – investigations,
tackling corruption, working with inquiries and information
management – to reflect the key themes raised in the Panel’s
report for the government to consider.
It notes the progress being made by policing to address concerns
with tackling corruption, and the importance of the work the
government is doing to drive improvement in culture and standards
across policing, including strengthening vetting and reviewing
the dismissals process so chief constables can remove officers
who are not fit to be in the police.
The government has also taken several steps in recent years to
tackle police corruption, introducing a new corruption offence in
2017 that applies to police and National Crime Agency officers
and carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence. Measures were also
introduced following the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to prevent
corrupt officers from resigning or retiring early to avoid being
held accountable for misconduct.
The government is also currently considering other
recommendations in the Panel’s report, such as a duty of candour,
which will be responded to in full as part of the government’s
response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the
Hillsborough families.
Alongside the government’s response, today the National Police
Chiefs Council will be publishing its response to the Panel’s
recommendations for national policing. This follows the
Metropolitan Police publishing their response to the Panel’s
report in March 2022.
