Reforms to police conduct procedures are an \u201cabsolute farce\u201d and \u201canother disgraceful attack on police officers and their rights and regulations\u201d, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
The Government has announced that Chief Constables and other senior officers are to be given greater powers to sack officers following a shake-up of the discipline system.<\/p>\n
Under the reforms, a finding of gross misconduct will automatically result in a police officer\u2019s dismissal, unless exceptional circumstances apply.<\/p>\n
Legally qualified chairs (LQCs) have been removed from their position and will instead be legally qualified persons (LQPs), providing independent advice.<\/p>\n
The outcome will be determined by a majority panel decision and hearings will continue to be held in public to maintain transparency.<\/p>\n
But Steve Kent, Federation Chair, said: \u201cThis is coming from the same Government that eight years ago decided we need to have independent chairs because police leaders are too soft. Now they\u2019re saying we need to have police leaders leading this because independent chairs are too soft. This is nonsense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that two people, who I won\u2019t name, would have been dismissed any differently under these new regulations is a nonsense. It wouldn\u2019t have made any effect on that. They would have been dismissed in the same way, and there were already regulations in place that deal with guilty verdicts at court and incontrovertible evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a fast-track process that the Chief can already employ when there is no need for a full hearing when the evidence is incontrovertible. So these reforms are quite clearly ideological.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said that reforms would minimise the rights for due process for police officers and that the Government was trying to \u201cfool the public\u201d.<\/p>\n
He warned that the reforms will face challenge, although in which form is yet to be decided, adding that reforms could mean that officers who fail to keep their vetting status up to date will automatically be axed from their posts.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cThis is totally ridiculous. Do we really want to have this culture of fear within our organisation?<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are suffering because some forces, and I\u2019m not aiming this at South Yorkshire Police because we\u2019re actually quite good at it, have had poor vetting due to poor resourcing and because senior managers in those organisations aren\u2019t doing their job properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo actually maybe we need to hold people to account in higher office rather than taking it out on the frontline officers.\u201d<\/p>\n