Vetting-based dismissal of officers means they could potentially be \u201ckicked out by the back door without due process\u201d, the Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
In July, the College of Policing put the Code of Practice for Vetting before Parliament, which authorises Chief Constables to dismiss officers without going through the processes and mechanisms of dismissals.
\nSouth Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cThis is a massive concern for our officers, and I get really frustrated by hearing the rhetoric from the Commissioner and others that the Police Conduct Regulations are not fit for purpose. They are. What hasn\u2019t been fit for purpose is the way they\u2019ve been applied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not attacking South Yorkshire Police in particular, but looking across the board, the notion that officers who get convicted of crimes can\u2019t be dealt with is an absolute nonsense. Officers, if they\u2019re convicted, can be fast-tracked out of the organisation under existing performance regulations very quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe systems are there. It\u2019s not the officer\u2019s fault that forces and the Government haven\u2019t invested enough in proper police vetting procedures. It\u2019s a really bad thing that officers can potentially be kicked out by the back door, without due process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve also expressed dismay that senior Labour politicians were backing the move, saying: \u201cI find it very odd that Labour politicians, who pride themselves on championing employee rights, due process, and fairness and support for employment tribunals, are in some way championing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cSouth Yorkshire Police, to its credit, is one of the highest-rated forces when it comes to anti-corruption, and when you see the headlines about officers who have been convicted, that shows that the system works and that we find bad apples and they get rooted out. But we mustn\u2019t cause officers undue stress and paranoia that they\u2019re not going to be supported if people make a genuine mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n