Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Deferred
Paragraph: 60
Clarify rights for police officers as victims and complainants through legislative amendments
Recommendation
We recommend the Home Office work with the Ministry of Justice in considering amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill to clarify rights for police officers who are themselves the victims of police-perpetrated crime. The Home Office should work with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ascertain how police complainants could be afforded similar rights to other complainants and whether this would require amending the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020. Any necessary changes to the Regulations should be completed with the current Parliament.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government deflects by discussing the supercomplaint on section 60 stop and search, the responsibility for stop and search research, and a public consultation on a Community Scrutiny Framework, none of which address the recommended amendments for victims' rights.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
60
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
30. We accept that there is a need to ensure that police officers who are victims of police- perpetrated crime are afforded certain rights when making a complaint. We do not think opening up the public complaints system to existing officers and staff can currently be achieved without creating a detrimental impact on the delivery of the system for the public. It is worth noting that officers and staff can currently use the IOPC’s whistleblowing hotline to report concerns of wrongdoing that a criminal offence has been committed, or where there is evidence of conduct that would justify disciplinary proceedings. The IOPC can then use its ‘power of initiative’ to investigate matters without requiring a referral from the relevant police force. 31. Time allowing, we will explore any opportunities to address this matter as part of the delivery of the Dismissals Review recommendations.
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