Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Paragraph: 16
Inconsistent police vetting practices and evaded transfer vetting undermine public trust
Conclusion
Some will be attracted to a career in policing precisely because it provides a position of power that can be exploited or abused. Vetting upon recruitment and in-service needs to reflect this. It cannot be right that vetting practices vary between forces, or that officers can evade vetting upon transfer. As citizens, we should have the same protections no matter where we live in the country, and regardless of whether officers are from territorial or specialist forces.
Government Response Summary
The government noted that forces are already required to vet in line with College of Policing standards and that the NPCC is working on continuous integrity screening checks, while deflecting broader accountability to PCCs.
Paragraph Reference:
16
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
7. Forces are required to vet in line with the statutory code of practice on vetting and the vetting authorised professional practice (APP) which are issued by the College of Policing. These both set out considerations in relation to transferees and we believe the framework for how vetting is carried out should remain with the College, in-keeping with other guidance on operational matters. The College updated their vetting code in July 2023 and is due to publish its draft vetting APP for consultation shortly. 8. The NPCC has already asked forces to check all officers and staff against the police national database (PND) to identify any intelligence which could warrant action being taken. Further to this, the NPCC is working on a programme which will help to facilitate automated continuous integrity screening checks, enabling relevant issues to be raised in real time. 9. It is a decision for PCCs on how they hold the Chief Constable to account on how they lead their force. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) may wish to consider taking forward findings in relation to PCCs. 10. The Home Office will provide Parliament with regular updates as appropriate on a number of pieces of ongoing work relating to integrity matters such as the Dismissals Review, Angiolini Inquiry and relevant vetting actions being taken forward by policing.