Statutory duty of candour for law enforcement

2.3.2. The Panel agreed with other independent inquiries, such as Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families, about the need for a duty of candour for public services, including the police. The government will address the points of learning related to a duty of candour as part of the full response to Bishop James Jones’s report. The government has committed to engaging with the Hillsborough families prior to publication of its full response.

Yes, the Government are very clear: we remain fully committed to bringing legislation forward at pace, which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply with that duty of candour.

A duty of candour for policing has also formed part of recommendations made by other bodies. Notably, the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, published in June 2021, which considered the police handling of the investigation into the murder of Daniel Morgan in 1989. In February 2020 the Home Office introduced a statutory duty of cooperation for individual police officers as part of wider integrity reforms. Police officers now have a responsibility to give appropriate cooperation during investigations, inquiries and formal proceedings, participating openly and professionally in line with the expectations of a police officer when identified as a witness. An organisational duty of candour, aimed at chief officers and requiring them to ensure an ethical culture in the forces they lead, will complement the existing requirements on individual officers.