Independent Scrutiny For Lengthy Investigations Into Officers

Police officers who are under investigation for long stretches of time are being “broken” by the system, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said, as plans emerged that could mean investigations over a year will now be independently scrutinised.

Last month, Lord Bailey re-tabled three Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill at the Report Stage, which include one on ‘fairness and certainty’ – meaning there should be independent scrutiny when investigations into officers run beyond 12 months.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said the amendment was badly needed.

He explained: “We get why policing is scrutinised, but the timescales are appalling, and the anxiety is breaking our officers. I’ve supported police officers who have been investigated for something, and it took 11 months to get to a conclusion of no further action. Those officers will never be the same again, they will have that anxiety built into them, and it will change the rest of their career. We need to deal with things quicker.

“This isn’t a direct criticism of our Professional Standards Department, who are some of the hardest-working officers in our force. They are cops who are under immense pressure to get stuff done properly. But Professional Standards needs to be resourced properly, and we need better systems in place to get rid of minor allegations very quickly.

“We also need to educate our supervisors throughout the force to take ownership of low-level disciplinary issues, so they don’t clog up the system for the more serious stuff which does need Professional Standards to deal with it.

“So I do welcome this move, because if there are real consequences for investigations running over 12 months, forces and the IOPC will have to upgrade their staffing levels, and put systems in place to reduce the pressure.”