Wednesday 2 November 2022
Surrey Police response to HMICFRS report regarding an inspection of vetting, misconduct and misogyny in the police service
Hundreds of people in England and Wales have been cleared to
serve in the police when they should have failed vetting procedures.
The police watchdog found some officers passed checks
despite having criminal records or family links to organised crime.
Its investigation was set up after Sarah Everard was
kidnapped in Clapham and murdered by a serving police officer.
The home secretary says "culture and standards" in
the police need to change and the "public's trust in policing
restored".
Suella Braverman has responded to the shocking report from HM
Inspectorate of Constabulary which found that hundreds of officers who should
have failed vetting checks had been employed.
It seems some officers have relatives linked to organised
crime, while others have criminal records.
Ms Braverman says the report must be acted on as a
"matter of urgency".
Surrey Police's statement in full:
"Surrey Police remains determined to root out any individual
not fit to serve the county and its communities.
We have made a commitment that Surrey will be a county that
is not only safe, but feels safe and having the trust and confidence of the
public is critical. That’s why we remain focused on identifying and removing
any officer or member of staff who compromises our standards or integrity.
Launched in 2020, our Force Commitments set out the “high
standards and ethical behaviour” we expect of all of our staff and that “we
will respect and reflect the differences in the communities we serve”.
We therefore welcome the publication of the HMICFRS report
into vetting, corruption, and misconduct published today. Many of the
recommendations focus on areas where we have already carried out significant
work and rigorous procedures are already in place within our Professional
Standards Department to deal with misconduct swiftly and robustly.
While it is widely acknowledged that misogyny is endemic in
society, our position remains clear that behaviours of this kind have no place
in our force.
We were one of the first forces to openly discuss misogyny
and sexism within the workplace with the launch of our internal campaign, Not
In My Force, in 2020 which has since been picked up and replicated by other
forces nationally. This was followed up by a “Let’s Talk About Gender” Toolkit
encouraging discussions within teams across the force. Earlier this year we
also introduced a Sexual Harassment Toolkit, which provides guidance to
officers and staff on how to challenge and report such behaviour.
Today’s report highlights the potential risks associated
with the national police officer uplift programme and the maintenance of
standards due to the “size and speed of the programme”. In Surrey, as we have
increased officer numbers, we have continued to maintain robust vetting
procedures for all new joiners and transferees in accordance with the College
of Policing Vetting Code of Practice and the associated Authorised Professional
Practice (APP).
We recognise however, that there is still work to be done in
support of the commitments we have made and we will carefully consider the
recommendations within HMICFRS’s report making any changes that are required."
posted by Radio Jackie News Team @ 4:40 pm
