The police watchdog has identified significant failings in vetting standards, leading to people with criminal records or links to organised crime joining the police.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reviewed hundreds of police vetting files and found too many cases where people should not have been allowed to join police forces, including cases where evidence showed a prospective officer may pose a risk to the public.
In the majority of cases inspectors agreed with the forces’ decisions to grant clearance, but there were 68 where it considered that the applicant should not have been allowed into the police service.
There were a further 63 where the review team might have agreed with the decision had the rationale continained greater detail or potential risk mitigation measures.
In many of the cases, the review team found no evidence that forces had fully assessed risks or taken steps to mitigate them through closer supervision, for example. Some forces didn’t have enough people within their counter-corruption unit or vetting unit to mitigate risks.
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Forces are consistently sharing information and choosing to re-vet those who transfer between forces, however the review found examples of police officers transferring despite a history of concerning intelligence, complaints or misconduct allegations.
One applicant for a police community support officer position was found to have been cautioned in a domestic abuse case, while one special constable applicant had been convicted of indecent exposure.
The review was commissioned by the government following the murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.
It also found a culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour towards female officers, staff and members of the public, the report says.
His Majesty’s inspector of constabulary Matt Parr said: “It is too easy for the wrong people to both join and stay in the police. If the police are to rebuild public trust and protect their own female officers and staff, vetting must be much more rigorous and sexual misconduct taken more seriously.
“We found evidence of poor decision-making in police vetting, inconsistent handling of misconduct cases and a lack of effective monitoring of officers’ IT use, all of which can lead to devastating consequences. Yet despite repeated warnings – including several from us – not enough has been done to improve standards and stamp out misogyny and predatory behaviour in policing.”
He said police forces must do more to prevent unsuitable people from joining the service and quickly dismiss officers and staff if they are not fit to serve the public.
He highlighted concerns with the government’s police officer recruitment drive. “Given the risks involved with recruiting officers at the scale and speed required by the uplift programme, it is essential that police leaders act now on our recommendations,” he said.
HMICFRS made 43 recommendations following its inspection of vetting, misconduct and misogyny in the police service, including:
- updating the College of Policing vetting authorised professional practice, which offers guidance on vetting practices, to offer more robust advice around decision-making, risk mitigation, recording rationale, appeals, vetting reviews and transferees
- establishing better processes for managing risks relating to vetting decisions, corruption investigations and information security
- improving the quality and consistency of vetting decision-making, and improving the recording of the rationale for some decisions
- improving how the police assess and investigate allegations of misconduct.
It says that by 30 April 2023, chief constables should establish a process and begin identifying vetting clearance records where applicants have committed criminal offences or there are other concerns.
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