SOUTH Yorkshire Police Federation says it has \u2018deep concerns\u2019 about the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which it described as \u2018not fit for purpose\u2019.<\/p>\n
Chairman Steve Kent was speaking after the Police Federation of England and Wales called for all IOPC legacy cases to be reviewed after the IOPC dropped misconduct proceedings against five officers from Bedfordshire who had been under investigation for seven years.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cWe understand there is a perceived need for a watchdog that monitors police forces and investigations into corruption, and the way they deal with officers who need to be sanctioned. Police forces need to be held to account.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat concerns me is that the IOPC is actively investigating matters. I have deep concerns about that, because it is not fit for purpose in that regard.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Yorkshire Police Professional Standards is seen as one of the best departments in the country for its anti-corruption stance, and has been recognised by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).<\/p>\n
\u201cYet there are occasions where investigations are taken away from South Yorkshire officers, who are seen as the best, and given to people who are barely qualified to carry out these investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers need to be held to account for what they do, to inspire public confidence. But there\u2019s a misconception that police officers can\u2019t investigate police officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody wants to root out bad and bent cops more than police officers themselves \u2013 and they\u2019re the ones who are trained to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep hearing horror stories of IOPC investigators who are stood in front of a Crown Court, presenting a case against police officers, and they\u2019ve never had any investigative experience before that job. It\u2019s not acceptable and it\u2019s letting everybody down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s failing police officers in terms of the timescales, and it\u2019s failing the public in the quality of investigations that they\u2019re taking on, because it\u2019s a waste of taxpayers\u2019 money.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Bedfordshire case, in 2013 Leon Briggs died in hospital after becoming ill at Luton police station, where he was being held under the Mental Health Act. It took until March 2018 for the Crown Prosecution Service to decide none of the police officers who had been in contact with Mr Briggs before his death should face criminal proceedings.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless the IOPC pressed on with gross misconduct proceedings, but it has now announced it has dropped them. The PFEW had previously flagged numerous failings regarding the disclosure process that meant the officers could not be guaranteed a fair hearing.<\/p>\n
Steve said the Bedfordshire \u201chighlights the ludicrous timescales and the situation we\u2019re in\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added that officers who were under investigation for years felt like they had the \u2018Eye of Sauron\u2019 on them.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cThere\u2019s a constant fear. Officers feel they can\u2019t go out and do their honest job and do it to the best of their abilities, for the fear they\u2019ll be put under the spotlight and then be waiting years and years for an outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said there were cases in South Yorkshire of a relatively minor nature that had been going on for more than 18 months.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThese officers, their mental health and their families\u2019 mental health are grossly affected by it. It\u2019s absolutely awful. Family life is distraught, they can\u2019t relax.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen officers who look like a shadow of their former self because they\u2019re just waiting, with this big cloak hanging over them. There needs to be a drastic change in terms of the IOPC.\u201d<\/p>\n