Home Secretary proposes anonymity for whistleblowers

POLICE whistleblowers could be offered anonymity and immunity from prosecution if they uncover serious criminality, under new proposals from the Home Secretary.

Theresa May (pictured) has launched a consultation on a number of suggestions to help protect police officers coming forward to report misconduct. In November, Mrs May set out plans to help protect whistleblowers from unfair disciplinary action.

She also said she wanted to make it clear that reprisals against whistleblowers will not be tolerated.

Now she has made another set of longer-term recommendations, which she says will “improve the reporting routes available to police whistleblowers, and ensure those who do come forward are protected”.

Currently, officers can report concerns directly to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, but the IPCC is then obliged to report these concerns to the individual’s force.

Mrs May wants to do away with this rule, allowing the IPCC to decide how the concerns are dealt with.

She has also suggested that whistleblowers should be consulted over how their concerns are dealt with and receive feedback on progress.

The consultation proposes considering whether whistleblowers could be “offered a guarantee

that their identity will be protected” and whether they could be “offered immunity from prosecution in return for information about serious criminality”.

Mrs May said that police officers and staff coming forward to report misconduct and malpractice is “key to ensuring the highest standards of integrity in the police”.

The Home Secretary has also proposed reforms to the police complaints system, allowing police and crime commissioners to lead on complaints in their area should they so wish.