A major new survey by the Police Federation of England and Wales has found deep concern among officers about how misconduct by colleagues is handled; with many describing the system as unclear, inconsistent and, in some cases, unsafe.<\/p>\n
The survey, completed by 5,203 officers across all ranks and regions, found that more than one in five had been directly involved in a misconduct case where the subject was another officer. Witnesses outnumbered victims by three to one. Nearly half of victims said the person responsible was of the same rank, while 41% said they were more senior.<\/p>\n
Experience of misconduct cases increased with length of service and rank, according to the survey. The responses showed that 38% of chief inspectors said they had been involved in a case, compared with 16% of constables. Officers with more than 20 years\u2019 service were more than twice as likely to report involvement as those with fewer than five.<\/p>\n
Despite this, fewer than half of those involved said they reported what they saw \u2013 47% said they had reported the behaviour, while 45% had not. Reporting was higher among officers with less than five years\u2019 service, and among women and ethnic minority officers.<\/p>\n
Almost half of respondents said they were dissatisfied with how their force handled police on police misconduct.<\/p>\n
The survey also highlighted gaps in knowledge. While most officers said they would want Federation support if involved in a misconduct case, more than two in five were unaware of how the Federation could help, and almost one in 10 said they did not know where to turn.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police is already \u201cahead of the curve\u201d on this issue, Federation Chair Steve Kent has said.<\/p>\n
He explained: \u201cWe make support for officers clear and we have done so for some time now. If Officer A has made a complaint about Officer B, Officer B will get the legal support that is required and appropriate, but we need to pick up Officer A as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re actually ahead of the curve with that. We haven’t seen loads of officers come to us in this respect, but as awareness spreads, I think officers will be more confident to come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n