NEW ways to deal with police misconduct will support officers who have made \u2018genuine mistakes\u2019, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
The new misconduct legislation comes into force in February and aims to \u2018shake up\u2019 the current system.<\/p>\n
The Home Office says the procedure will be more proportionate and focus on allowing forces and officers to \u2018learn from their mistakes\u2019, while addressing concerns about the length of time cases can take.<\/p>\n
It is an attempt to move from a blame to a more learning culture in the force.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent said: \u201cIt\u2019s about lessons learned. Officers who are corrupt deserve everything that comes to them, and I think 99.9% of police officers would agree with that. But officers who make a genuine mistake need to be supported and that needs to be seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually think in South Yorkshire we tend to get that right in our professional standards and the attitude of the senior command team.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s positive news. It\u2019s going to take a while to bed in, and it is going to take a little bit of learning for people to get our heads around what the new Regulations are going to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they are going to make a big difference and also cut out bureaucracy, and within policing cut down on the timescales which we know are such a big thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Line Managers will be given more opportunities to improve individuals\u2019 learning and behaviour in lower-level conduct matters, while plans are in place to improve the effectiveness of the IOPC.<\/p>\n
Steve added: \u201cWe need this to come in to help us with the IOPC because they still seem to have a completely different perspective on things, which isn\u2019t correct. So this will help us to be able to push back a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
What won\u2019t change in the new Regulations is the need for officers to talk about any issues or mistakes they may have made as quickly as possible after the incident.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cIf officers make a mistake, they need to let their supervisors know and let their managers know as soon as possible. That doesn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it does change is that the new Regulations will protect the common sense ways we look at things.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, if officers do make a mistake, as long as they don\u2019t hide it, they don\u2019t try and cover it up, they should expect, quite rightly, to be supported by the force and their managers. Honesty is key.\u201d<\/p>\n