Search the Community

From next year a new list with 'soft intelligence' on transferring officers will also be introduced. Date - 12th November 2019 By - Gary Mason 1 Comment A total of 36 officers were placed on the College of Policing’s barred list following dismissal for abusing their position for sexual purposes which was higher than the figure for assaults (29) and data/systems misuse (30), according to the latest version of the list. The updated list which was published this month shows that across England and Wales 144 officers from PC to assistant chief constable rank were dismissed while serving, 94 police officers from PC to Chief inspector rank were dismissed post-resignation and 15 officers from PC to Inspector rank were dismissed post-retirement. The Barred List came into place in December 2017 following the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which made it a requirement for all Home Office forces in England and Wales to inform the College of Policing of dismissals for conduct or performance matters. From April next year the NPCC lead for vetting and the College of Policing have been tasked by HMICFRS with devising a standardised list of information that should be shared between forces when someone transfers from one force to another. This was one of the main recommendations in a report published by the inspectorate in September on officers who abuse their position for sexual purposes. It highlighted a gap in the barred and advisory lists system held by the College of Policing in relation to providing soft intelligence on officers who transfer between forces. As a minimum, the HMICFRS said, this new list should include information on performance, sickness, complaints, business interests, notifiable associations and any other corruption intelligence. It said “all forces should then adopt this as soon as reasonably practicable.” The recommendation follows anecdotal evidence suggesting that some officers transferring between forces are later subject to serious allegations, including sexually abusing vulnerable people. Also, there was no standard way of passing on intelligence about things such as complaints, corruption intelligence or performance. The report found that the exchange of information about people who have been dismissed from the service through the barred and advisory list system is good. The list includes those dismissed and those who resign or retire while under investigation and later have a gross misconduct case against them proven. The advisory list holds information on those who are currently under investigation for gross misconduct and have resigned or retired. The details of the person under investigation are held on the advisory list until the case has been finalised. All force vetting units use the lists as part of their vetting checks for new employees. The latest version of the barred list covers the period from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 and includes dismissals of officers who resigned or retired prior to a misconduct hearing being held. Changes in legislation now enable forces to continue with these investigations and, where appropriate, still hold a hearing to establish whether or not the officer would have been dismissed had they remained in the police service. The latest figures also cover the number of police officers, staff and members of the special constabulary who were placed on the Barred List between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019. There were a total of 26 officers dismissed from the special constabulary, and 110 members of police staff were dismissed and are now prevented from re-entering the police service or joining other policing bodies. The Barred List replaced the Disapproved Register, previously used to capture the names of dismissed officers, and those that resigned or retired while subject to gross misconduct where it was considered that there may have been a case to answer. View On Police Oracle

Record should not taint reputation of incredible police service, says Fed. Date - 17th October 2018 By - Sophie Garrod - Police Oracle 1 Comment More than 100 police officers, special constables and staff have been placed on the new Police Barred List following its introduction, figures from the College of Policing show. The barred list was introduced in December following the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which made it a requirement for all forces in England and Wales to inform the College of Policing of dismissals for conduct or performance matters. Seventy officers from PC to superintendent rank, three members of the special constabulary, and 31 police staff were dismissed and are now prevented from re-entering the police service or joining other policing bodies. The figures released today cover the period up to March 31 2018. The College will now release figures on an annual basis to cover the financial year. The record also includes dismissals of officers who resigned or retired prior to a misconduct hearing being held. New legislation now enables forces to continue with these investigations and, where appropriate, still hold a hearing to establish whether or not the officer would have been dismissed had they remained in the police service. Additionally, the names of police officers and members of the special constabulary dismissed for gross misconduct and placed on the barred list are published on a publicly searchable database. Detective Superintendent Jackie Alexander, College of Policing lead for professional standards, said: “The majority of the people working in policing act with honesty and integrity as shown by the number of dismissals in relation to the overall workforce of over 200,000 people. “When people working in policing do fall below the required standard, it is important not only that they are dismissed, but also that they are prevented from returning to any policing role or body, for as long as they remain unsuitable. This safeguard is now in place with the new barred list, which forces and policing bodies are required to check to ensure an applicant has not been listed before any appointment is made. “Any serious wrongdoing by those working in policing will be troubling to the public. The figures demonstrate that forces have measures in place to uncover wrong-doing, investigate effectively when it occurs, and hold officers and staff to account for their behaviour.” Phill Matthews, conduct and performance lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales, told Police Oracle: "These figures represent an incredibly small percentage of police officers and the vast majority of officers come into the police service to protect the public and they act with integrity and respect. "A large percentage of those dismissed are often brought about by other officers bringing the information to light rather than as a result of any public complaints. The police service is very good at uncovering those that don’t deserve to be in the job. “Whilst I absolutely condemn dishonest or inappropriate behaviour, a small minority should not taint the reputation of our incredible police service, the overwhelming majority of who work tirelessly with dedication and professionalism under extremely demanding circumstances to keep us safe.” View On Police Oracle