“Lengthy IOPC investigations are damaging officers wellbeing…there needs to be more efficiency”

OFFICERS who are put under investigation by the police watchdog for years are seeing their wellbeing damaged and home lives breaking down, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

The Federation has welcomed the Home Secretary’s intervention over imposing deadlines on Independent Office for Police Conduct investigations.

Priti Patel told the Superintendents’ Association Annual Conference that she wanted to fix the “injustice” of lengthy investigations into the country’s cops, which leaves their personal and professional lives in “limbo”.

Steve Kent, Federation Chairman said: “It is unacceptable some of the examples we’ve seen of officers waiting for years for investigations to be finalised. The system needs to be comparable to police investigations in that there may be exceptions in which complex cases could fall out of, hypothetically a 12-months guideline, but as with the police that should be scrutinised by a judicial process if that limit is going to be breached.

“In other words, they should have to apply for an extension of an investigation timescale, rather than it just being the norm.”

He added: “I appreciate the complexity of some investigations but this would keep the focus on the IOPC getting things done more efficiently for the officers’ sake and for everybody’s sake. This can’t come soon enough.

“This is stressful for the officers involved. Being investigated, as we’ve seen in some cases up to a decade, does take its toll on officers. We’ve heard of officers whose marriages have broken down and relationships have broken down. It’s a horrendous burden to have on your shoulders.

“Then on the flip side, having officers up and down the country restricted and not being able to perform their duties because of ongoing investigations in itself is damaging because it’s having a knock-on effect. It is in everyone’s interests to get it done as quickly as possible.”