Police Vetting Inconsistencies
Inconsistent vetting practices across police forces and the ability of officers to evade re-vetting upon transfer.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 13 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
61 inquiry recs
35 PFD reports
60 committee recs
8 CQC actions
3 HMICFRS recs
3 ICIBI recs
10 IOPC recs
1 NAO rec
46 IMB recs
1 Scottish FAI
1 Article 2 learning point
3 detention investigation recs
42 LGO/SPSO decisions
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry recommendations(61)— showing 50 strongest matches
R31 — Additional database access for CRB
Recommendation: As a priority, legislation should be brought forward to enable the CRB to access the following additional databases for the purpose of vetting: Her Majesty's Customs & Excise; National Criminal Intelligence Service; National Crime Squad; British Transport Police; and the …
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R30 — Overseas applicant checking
Recommendation: Proposals should be brought forward as soon as possible to improve the checking of people from overseas who want to work with children and vulnerable adults.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R28 — Broader consent on Police Check Form
Recommendation: The consents that applicants currently give on the 'Police Check Form' should be sufficiently broad to enable the requisite checks to be undertaken.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R27 — Information verification confirmation
Recommendation: Registered Bodies should be required to confirm that they have checked the information on the 'Police Check Form' in accordance with CRB guidance.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
ANG-13 — Stronger vetting aftercare and randomised re-vetting
Recommendation: By December 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with all force vetting units, should develop a stronger approach to force vetting aftercare in order to monitor an individual effectively throughout their career with the police and be aware of …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
ANG-10 — Vetting Code compliance for officer transfers
Recommendation: With immediate effect, all recruiting forces should have regard to the new Vetting Code of Practice, which requires the parent force to provide all relevant information requested about the transferee to enable an effective assessment of risk by the force …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
ANG-9 — Improve vetting decision-making quality and consistency
Recommendation: By March 2025, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting units, should take steps to improve the quality and consistency of police vetting decision-making. This should include encouraging the use of greater professional rigour and curiosity when investigating …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
ANG-8 — Strengthen recruitment and vetting practices
Recommendation: By June 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting units, should take further steps to prevent those unsuitable for policing from joining the policing profession. This should include further developing the Vetting Code of Practice, Authorised Professional …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
COVID-M2.6 — Enact Socio-economic Duty
Recommendation: The UK government should bring into force in England section 1 of the Equality Act 2010, implementing the socio-economic duty. The Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive should consider an equivalent provision within section 75 of the Northern Ireland …
Gov response: No formal response published by this government.
Accepted
MAI-161 — Review CCTV monitoring SIA licence requirements
Recommendation: The requirement that only those monitoring CCTV under a contract for services need to hold an SIA licence should be reviewed.
Gov response: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) published a formal statement on 17 June 2021 in response to Volume 1 of the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The SIA committed to collaborating with the private security industry, law enforcement, …
Accepted
MAI-20 — Review licensing for security contractors
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to whether contractors who carried out security services should be required to be licenced.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to …
Accepted
MACP-64 — Require policing plans to include targets for minority ethnic staff recruitment and retention
Recommendation: That the Home Secretary and Police Authorities' policing plans should include targets for recruitment, progression and retention of minority ethnic staff. Police Authorities to report progress to the Home Secretary annually. Such reports to be published.
Unknown
MACP-59 — Home Office review and monitor police selection and promotion standards for senior officers
Recommendation: That the Home Office review and monitor the system and standards of Police Services applied to the selection and promotion of officers of the rank of Inspector and above. Such procedures for selection and promotion to be monitored and assessed …
Unknown
R29 — Incomplete applications returned to Registered Body
Recommendation: Incomplete or withdrawn applications should in future be returned to the Registered Body, and not to the applicant.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R20 — Standards for police vetting checks
Recommendation: HMIC should develop, with ACPO and the CRB, the standards to be observed by police forces in carrying out vetting checks. These should cover the intelligence databases to be searched, the robustness of procedures, guidance, training, supervision and audit.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
ANG-11 — Strengthen information-sharing practices
Recommendation: By December 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting and recruitment units, should ensure that information-sharing practices, including data retention policies, are strengthened in order to prevent those who commit sexually motivated crimes against women and those …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
ANG-7 — In-person interviews and home visits for police candidates
Recommendation: With immediate effect, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force recruitment, should ensure that every new candidate applying to become a police officer in any police force undergoes an in-person interview and home visit. This should be designed to …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
DM-15 — Regular security clearance updates for police
Recommendation: Security clearance processes for police officers and police staff are fundamental to any anti-corruption strategy. Regular updating of the security status of each individual is essential to identify any concerns and to enable action to be taken in respect of …
Gov response: Police forces carry out their vetting in line with the College of Policing's statutory code of practice on vetting and its APP on vetting. The College is currently in the process of updating its statutory …
Accepted
L78 — PNC Access Auditing
Recommendation: The Police Service should re-examine the rigour of the auditing process and the frequency of the conduct of audits in relation to access to the Police National Computer (PNC). Additional consideration should also be given to the number of people …
Gov response: The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012: "Lord Justice Leveson makes a number of recommendations that are designed to break the perception of an excessively cosy relationship between the press and the police and …
Accepted
R23 — Database access for identity verification
Recommendation: Registered Bodies, or the CRB, should be able to check passports and driving licences presented as proof of identity against the Passport Service and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) databases.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R21 — Enhanced Disclosure for school staff
Recommendation: All posts, including those in schools, that involve working with children, and vulnerable adults, should be subject to the Enhanced Disclosure regime.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
AG-4 — North West Armed Policing SOP Amendment
Recommendation: The North West Armed Policing Standard Operating Procedure on Weapons and Ammunition should be amended so that it only permits the use of new specialist munitions that have been approved in accordance with the Code of Practice for Armed Policing …
Gov response: 20. The use of CS dispersal canisters by GMP during Operation Shire was a focus of concern for the Inquiry. The CS dispersal canisters had not been through the approval process that includes the identification …
Accepted
AG-3 — Code of Practice on New Weapons Approval
Recommendation: The Home Secretary should ensure that the new Code of Practice on Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons contains an express prohibition on the use of a new weapon system by the police service until the approval process …
Gov response: 16. The Government accepts this recommendation. On 14 January 2020, the Home Secretary approved the revised Code of Practice for Armed Policing and Less Lethal Weapons (LLW). The Code has now been published on The …
Accepted
ANG-6 — Review sexual offence allegations against serving officers
Recommendation: By September 2024, the National Police Chiefs' Council, in collaboration with all force vetting units, and building on the results of the recent data-washing exercise, should conduct a review of the circumstances of all allegations of indecent exposure and other …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
DM-14 — Register membership of organisations like Freemasons
Recommendation: All police officers and police staff should be obliged to register in confidence with the Chief Officer of their police force, at either their point of recruitment to the police force or at any point subsequent to their recruitment, their …
Gov response: There were concerns about Freemasonry, and the potential for conflicts of loyalty among Freemasons who were also police officers, in the initial investigations. The report itself accepted that membership of the Freemasons was not a …
Accepted in Part
DM-9 — Regulation of private investigators
Recommendation: The Government should act on its stated intention in 2013 to require licensing measures, introduce legislation to ensure the creation and use of standards, and implement the recommendation in the 2016 review concerning the regulation of private investigators.
Gov response: The Panel recommended the introduction of licensing for the private investigator sector. The government notes the positive steps the private investigator industry is taking towards raising standards through the progress of the Association of British …
Not Accepted
MACP-66 — Require HMIC to inspect and report on police minority ethnic staff progress
Recommendation: That HMIC include in any regular inspection or in a thematic inspection a report on the progress made by Police Services in recruitment, progression and retention of minority ethnic staff.
Unknown
MACP-65 — Facilitate initiatives to increase qualified minority ethnic recruits in police services
Recommendation: That the Home Office and Police Services should facilitate the development of initiatives to increase the number of qualified minority ethnic recruits.
Unknown
MACP-3 — Grant Her Majesty's Inspectors full powers to inspect all Police Services.
Recommendation: That Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary (HMIC) be granted full and unfettered powers and duties to inspect all parts of Police Services including the Metropolitan Police Service.
Unknown
R25 — Fingerprints for identity verification
Recommendation: Fingerprints should be used as a means of verifying identity.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R22 — Identity checking responsibilities
Recommendation: The Registered Bodies' precise responsibilities for checking identities need to be clarified urgently.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R19 — Registration scheme for working with children
Recommendation: New arrangements should be introduced requiring those who wish to work with children, or vulnerable adults, to be registered. This register – perhaps supported by a card or licence – would confirm that there is no known reason why an …
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R9 — Key principles of information management
Recommendation: The Code of Practice must clearly set out the key principles of good information management (capture, review, retention, deletion and sharing), having regard to policing purposes, the rights of the individual and the law.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R8 — Information management Code of Practice
Recommendation: A Code of Practice should be produced covering record creation, review, retention, deletion and information sharing. This should be made under the Police Reform Act 2002 and needs to be clear, concise and practical. It should supersede existing guidance.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R7 — Court results PNC transfer
Recommendation: The transfer of responsibility for inputting court results onto the PNC should be reaffirmed by the Court Service and the Home Office and, if possible, accelerated ahead of the 2006 target. At the least, that deadline must be met.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R6 — PNC data quality inspection
Recommendation: The quality and timeliness of PNC data input should be routinely inspected as part of the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) and the Baseline Assessments, which are being developed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R5 — PNC Code of Practice implementation
Recommendation: The new Code of Practice, made under the Police Reform Act 2002, dealing with the quality and timeliness of PNC data input, should be implemented as soon as possible.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R4 — PNC investment
Recommendation: Investment should be made available by Government to secure the PNC's medium and long-term future, given its importance to intelligence-led policing and to the criminal justice system as a whole. I note that PITO has begun this work.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R3 — Police IT procurement review
Recommendation: The procurement of IT systems by the police should be reviewed to ensure that, wherever possible, national solutions are delivered to national problems.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
AG-2 — HMICFRS Thematic Inspection of Armed Policing
Recommendation: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) should conduct a thematic inspection or inspections concerning: (i) the selection and training of officers authorised to use weapons requiring special authorisation; (ii) the selection and training of officers …
Gov response: HMICFRS response to the Anthony Grainger Inquiry. 13. HMICFRS have now had the opportunity to consider recommendation 2 of the Anthony Grainger Inquiry. 14. HMICFRS note that the Inquiry Chair, His Honour Judge Teague, was …
Accepted
AR-3 — Commissioner to Appoint Debrief Officer
Recommendation: In the event of a shooting by an MPS officer that results in death or serious injury, the Commissioner should thereupon appoint a senior officer to conduct a full, operational debriefing. The officer must have sufficient seniority to not be …
Gov response: No formal government response published. MPS confirmed implementation of senior officer debriefing procedures on 12 August 2014.
Accepted
AR-1 — Full Review of Operation Tayport
Recommendation: I recommend that, as soon as is reasonably practicable, the MPS undertake a full, thorough review of all aspects of Operation Tayport. The review should be conducted by a senior officer appointed by the Commissioner with no inhibitions about critical …
Gov response: No formal government response published. MPS confirmed implementation on 3 June 2014 following internal review by Commander Basu.
Accepted
ANG-15 — Remove barriers to reporting sexual offences by colleagues
Recommendation: With immediate effect, all police forces should take action to understand and confront the barriers that police officers and staff face when reporting sexual offences committed by a person that they work with or in the workplace. This is in …
Gov response: Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward …
Accepted
DM-2 — DNA samples from Police Officer Z31's relatives
Recommendation: The Panel recommends that the Metropolitan Police consider the desirability and explore the possibility of obtaining samples of DNA from former Police Officer Z31's relatives, to compare it with the outstanding DNA recovered from the axe.
Gov response: The MPS's homicide investigation arrangements are very different to those in place 36 years ago. According to HMICFRS, the force is now effective in investigating homicides and solves the vast majority of cases. The MPS …
Accepted
SP30 — Autism spectrum disorder police training
Recommendation: 1. Lancashire Constabulary should strengthen its autism spectrum disorder‑related training for new officers and through continuous development. 2. National policing bodies, with input from the Department of Health and Social Care, should consider whether reforms to guidance or training are …
Response Pending
FENN-25 — Discuss closer links between British Transport Police and other forces
Recommendation: The British Railways Board as employers of the British Transport Police shall discuss with the Home Office closer links between the British Transport Police and other police forces.
Unknown
L80 — ACPO Post-employment Restrictions
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to the terms upon which ACPO rank officers are appointed and, in particular, whether these terms should include some limitation upon the nature of any employment within or by the media that can be undertaken without …
Gov response: The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012: "Lord Justice Leveson makes a number of recommendations that are designed to break the perception of an excessively cosy relationship between the press and the police and …
Accepted
L79 — ACPO Guidance on Hospitality
Recommendation: The recent ACPO Guidance should more specifically spell out the dangers of consuming alcohol in a setting of casual hospitality (without necessarily specifying a blanket ban).
Gov response: The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012: "Lord Justice Leveson makes a number of recommendations that are designed to break the perception of an excessively cosy relationship between the press and the police and …
Accepted
R26 — Address verification guidance
Recommendation: Guidance should be issued to Registered Bodies on how to verify that applicants have given a full and accurate account of their current and past addresses.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
R24 — Photograph requirement for identity documents
Recommendation: There should be an expectation that documents produced to confirm identity should, wherever possible, include a photograph.
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir …
Accepted
Prevention of Future Deaths reports(35)
David Oldfield
Concerns: Concerns were raised about the appropriateness and justification of tasering the deceased, given discrepancies in officer accounts. Unjustified tasering unnecessarily increases the risk of serious injury or death.
Response (West Yorkshire Police): West Yorkshire Police acknowledge the concerns raised, particularly regarding officer accounts, and state that the IPCC was informed. They also offer a visit to their training facilities to demonstrate Taser …
Responded
Maria Stubbings
Concerns: Gaps in the system allow individuals convicted of murder abroad to enter the UK without conditions or local police notification, lacking retrospective data sharing, passport warnings, or local police alerts.
Overdue
Jason Palmer
Concerns: A breakdown in information sharing between police units meant domestic incident details were not available to the Firearms Unit, impacting suitability assessment for a shotgun licence renewal.
Response (Devon Cornwall Police): The police force has introduced an electronic system which sweeps all police incident logs every ten minutes and sends an immediate alert to the Firearms Licensing Unit if any log …
Responded
Nicholas Rowley
Concerns: Insufficient verbal consultation between medical practitioners and custody staff, coupled with inadequate joint training, led to unclear observation levels and poor management of drug/alcohol risks in detainees.
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing will incorporate guidance on verbal consultation between medical practitioners and custody sergeants and will make additions to the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice providing advice …
Response (Staffordshire Police): Guidance has been issued to custody staff and the medical services provider to ensure verbal updates are given by medical practitioners to the Custody Sergeant. A Custody Training sub-group has …
Response (G4S1): G4S no longer provides Detention Officer Services to Staffordshire Police as of June 2015. They state they always have and continue to provide mandatory training regarding setting levels of observation …
Overdue
Paul McGuigan
Concerns: General concerns were raised across relevant agencies about risks that could lead to future deaths, requiring action.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office states that the Notifiable Occupations Scheme (NOS) was withdrawn and replaced with a new police-led scheme, the Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD) scheme, which provides greater consistency …
Response (Pennine Care NHS Trust): The Trust states that following the Bradley Report (2009), the MDO teams transferred into single line management and implemented operational policy and approved documentation for assessment of needs and risks. …
Response (Greater Manchester Police NOMS SIA): GMP will train officers in understanding their responsibilities under the pressing social need test, including classroom and NCALT training. They will be entering and holding notifications on the intelligence file …
Responded
Philmore Mills
Concerns: Police training for subjects with suspected excited delirium lacks instruction on containment tactics and fails to inform officers that restraint take-down procedures can carry a risk of death, only focusing on minor injuries.
Response (Philmore Mills): The College of Policing will add specific reference to 'containment' to the ABD/PA chapter of the National Personal Safety Manual and clarify that, in certain circumstances, prone restraint carries a …
Overdue
Olaseni Lewis
Concerns: Police training on restraint techniques and Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) was inadequate and misunderstood, leading to officers misinterpreting risks, especially regarding "prolonged restraint." Additionally, there was a critical lack of clarity and training on inter-agency roles and responsibilities between police and healthcare staff.
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): The Metropolitan Police Service describes updated training for officers regarding restraint techniques, Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD), and mental health, including de-escalation techniques and communication skills. It also notes the implementation …
Response (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust): The South London and Maudsley NHS Trust outlined actions to address training compliance, including immediate action requests and potential service suspension if training levels fall below minimum safety standards.
Responded
Richard Davies
Concerns: A police armed policing unit used unbonded ammunition which did not align with national recommendations and lacked a clear bullet mass retention specification.
Response (Bedfordshire Police): The BCH APU is no longer using the un-bonded 5.56mm ammunition which was used in the present case and has amended its system of record-keeping to ensure that all decisions …
Overdue
Karl Brunner
Concerns: The incident highlights a risk of future deaths where individuals swallow drugs during police stops, requiring a review of procedures for managing such medical emergencies.
Response (Bedfordshire Police): Bedfordshire Police states that their officer training includes a module on managing choking detainees, and they issue officers with personal Pocket Face Masks. They believe their training complies with IOPC …
Overdue
Dane Pearson
Concerns: Police issued a CAWN without proper evidence, rationale, or risk assessment for a vulnerable person, and failed to communicate the decision to drop the investigation.
Response: The College of Policing is updating APP on issuing CAWNs to include a risk assessment and link to existing suicide prevention guidance. Additionally, GMP has implemented activities including providing districts …
Overdue
Duncan Tomlin
Concerns: Police training inadequately emphasizes the heightened risks of prone restraint with multiple breathing-affecting factors. Officers may prioritize quick removal over adequately assessing the reasons for a detainee's distress or resistance.
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing will examine the concerns raised in the report at the next scheduled meeting in July and bring them to the attention of the national clinical governance …
Response (Sussex Police): Sussex Police will work with the College of Policing and NPCC to alter lesson plans regarding the risks of prone restraint. They anticipate introducing an electronic recording system for PST …
Overdue
Catherine Horton
Concerns: Multiple failures in a missing persons investigation, including incorrect closure due to severe understaffing and high workload in the police missing persons unit.
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): The MPS has updated investigator toolkits on mobile devices, provides safeguarding officers in BCU Operations Rooms, delivers mandatory week-long training to officers posted to MPUs, and increased staffing levels in …
Responded
Aidan Ridley
Concerns: Inadequate police call handler training led to incorrect advice not to move a patient and failure to involve ambulance services, compounded by underutilization of a new 3-way call system.
Response (Wiltshire Police): Wiltshire Police states that staff briefings have been sent out reminding 999 call handlers to use the three-way call process when needed. They also state that further revisions of the …
Responded
Anthony Carroll
Concerns: The public may misunderstand police emergency vehicle speed limits. Additionally, a lack of visual indicators led officers to mistakenly believe sirens were active, highlighting a safety flaw.
Response (National Police Chiefs' Council): The NPCC provides clarification on police vehicle speed limits and emergency equipment operation, stating that there's no national proposal to add further equipment activation indicators due to potential driver distraction.
Responded
Anthony Preston
Concerns: The police Missing Person Policy requires review to ensure it is fit for purpose and adequately addresses risks.
Overdue
Hamish Howitt
Concerns: Police officers, lacking medical training, failed to ensure an injured, seemingly inebriated person was taken to hospital, leading to a missed traumatic brain injury. Training needs to mandate hospital referral for such individuals.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office has consulted with the College of Policing and NPCC, and the College will address the coroner's concerns about police first aid training through its formal governance routes.
Response (Avon and Somerset Police): Avon and Somerset Constabulary circulated a memorandum to all officers with guidance on head injury risk, sent guidance to first aid trainers, and added guidance to first aid training modules. …
Response (College of Policing and National Police Chiefs Council): The College of Policing and NPCC will raise concerns about alcohol's impact and head injury assessment in first aid training at the next First Aid Forum meeting in December to …
Responded
Leon Briggs
Concerns: The local S136 Multi-Agency Policy is unclear and lacks streamlining. There is insufficient training for first responders on recognizing medical emergencies, the effects of restraint, and monitoring detainees.
Response (East of England Ambulance Service): EEAST has approved (November 2021) the National Ambulance s.136 Guidance, is developing and implementing a new mental health care service model, and has developed a specific training session in relation …
Response (Bedfordshire Police): Bedfordshire Police is updating its local section 136 multi-agency policy, with a revised version due to be signed off this year and is incorporating guidance from a national ABD policy …
Response (Association of Ambulance Chief Executives): AACE confirms that the national S136 guidance has recently been revised, updated, and issued nationally and that on 1st February 21 they updated the acute behavioural disturbance guidance with wording …
Responded
Trevor Smith
Concerns: Critical mental health information from MARAC was not accurately recorded or cascaded to police, leading to officers being unaware of the deceased's EMD status. There was also confusion and a lack of coordination during CPR efforts.
Response (College of Policing): The NPCC First Aid Forum will formally raise the issue of establishing a first aid (CPR) coordinator at its next meeting. The College of Policing will send out a national …
Response (West Midlands Police): West Midlands Police have updated team briefing sheets to include reference to the CPR coordinator role and updated the Medical Plan to include direction regarding the coordination of care. All …
Responded
Anthony Fitzpatrick
Concerns: Healthcare professionals used inconsistent and subjective criteria for assessing suicide risk, not following training materials, leading to inaccurate risk grading and no plan to rectify this critical issue.
Overdue
Louise Bailey
Concerns: Police drivers lack critical information and training regarding closer units, preventing them from completing full risk assessments before responding to emergency calls.
Response (National Police Chiefs' Council): The National Police Chiefs' Council and College of Policing acknowledge concerns regarding risk assessment and radio communication but clarify that 'Roadcraft' is a driver training reference, not official policy. They …
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): The Metropolitan Police Service is amending the Airwave manual to clarify procedures around self-assignment to incidents. They are also procuring a replacement Command and Control System designed to assign vehicles …
Responded
Nicholas Dumphreys
Concerns: Safety-critical vehicle information may not reach all police forces due to informal communication channels. There's also no policy to prevent faulty decommissioned police vehicles from being sold, and a lack of national garage standards risks inadequate maintenance.
Response (National Police Chiefs Council): The NPCC has reorganised its fleet structure and is establishing a new NPCC-led governance and delivery structure to oversee police fleet issues. They will also reissue disposal advice under NPCC …
Responded
Michael Roberts
Concerns: An inaccurate DBS certificate failed to disclose a violent conviction, enabling an individual to be employed with access to firearms. The source of this critical error is currently unclear.
Overdue
Maxine Davison, Lee Martyn, Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd
Concerns: Concerns were raised regarding the risks associated with the legal availability, lethality, ease of use, and rapid fire capabilities of certain items, and their role in crime.
Response (North Wales Police): North Wales Police will review cases over the last 5 years where applications have been refused or licenses revoked, but where subsequent applications or appeals resulted in a grant, aiming …
Response (Merseyside Police): Merseyside Police firearms enquiry officers have completed the South Yorkshire Police training package and are enrolled on Mowbray Partners online training. They will also review cases within one month where …
Response (Dorset Police): Dorset Police will provide additional training to further enhance the quality of FEO investigations through the national Professionalising Investigations Programme at level 1 over the next 18 months. A presentation …
Response (Avon and Somerset Police): Avon and Somerset Police completed a review and found no cases where approval should not have been granted. They are reviewing their training requirements and will be implementing additional mandatory …
Response (South Wales Police): South Wales Police is reviewing approximately 1300 records where certificate holders were subject to a suitability review to determine if certificates were seized, surrendered, revoked or refused and subsequently approved. …
Response (North Yorkshire Police): North Yorkshire Police has established a Gold group to oversee their response and commenced a review of records relating to certificates seized, refused, revoked, or surrendered and then subsequently approved …
Response (Lancashire Constabulary): Lancashire Constabulary has commenced a review of all certificates refused, revoked, seized or surrendered and then subsequently approved over the past 5 years, against the March 2023 Home Office Statutory …
Response (Greater Manchester Police): Greater Manchester Police will review between 70-80 cases at Senior Officer Panel, for the five-year period, where certificates have been seized, refused, revoked or surrendered and then subsequently approved and …
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing is developing significantly revised and updated Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on firearms licensing. This will underpin the development of a national training course for staff involved …
Response (Gloucestershire Constabulary): Gloucestershire Constabulary will conduct a review of firearms licensing decisions, as per the letter from the NPCC lead, with a target completion date of 2 October 2023.
Response (Surrey Police): Surrey Police will review firearms and shotgun licensing prioritizing cases where firearms have been seized or surrendered and then returned; it will review most recent decisions first and applications that …
Response (Essex Police): Essex Police is reviewing decisions to return firearms licenses over a five-year period, prioritizing cases where firearms were seized or surrendered and then returned. They have implemented local training for …
Response (Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police): Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police have instructed a review of firearms seized and returned, certificate holders refused or revoked then successfully reapplied, and holders subject to police intelligence reports over …
Response (West Mercia Police): West Mercia Police will review firearms licensing decisions related to returns, refusals, revocations, and surrenders over the past five years, aiming to complete the review by the end of October. …
Response (Sussex Police): Sussex Police's Firearms and Explosives Licencing Unit believes its process for the return of a certificate is suitably stringent and is catered for within a force policy; the team is …
Response (Kent Police): Kent Police will review 134 firearms licensing cases where certificates were returned after seizure/surrender, or granted after refusal/revocation, assessing them against the current Home Office Statutory Guidance. Local firearms licensing …
Response (West Midlands Police): Staffordshire Police and West Midlands Police (collaborated service) provided tables that outline certificates seized and returned, revoked, and refused. They have a series of scheduled quality assurance programmes in relation …
Response (Devon and Cornwall Police): Devon and Cornwall Police invested £3 million into the force's Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit (FELU). In 2023, training is planned, including integrating firearms licensing into practical scenarios for Personal …
Response (Nottinghamshire Police): Nottinghamshire Police has identified a dedicated resource to review firearms licensing cases where firearms were seized/surrendered and later returned, or where licenses were refused/revoked and later granted. A sample of …
Response (Durham Constabulary): Durham Constabulary details their history of firearms licensing reform following a 2013 report and states that they are satisfied that their review of decisions to return firearms to licence holders …
Response (Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales): The Lord Chief Justice acknowledges the concerns but states that the report does not substantiate the suggestion that judges are not giving appeals the necessary careful and detailed consideration, are …
Response (City of London Police): City of London Police acknowledge the findings and learnings from the Keyham Inquest and will review their SOP to ensure procedures for Application / Annual Renewal / Return meet or …
Response (Metropolitan Police Service): The Metropolitan Police expresses condolences and describes existing processes for reviewing firearms licensing decisions, including reviews conducted in August 2021, and states they are contributing to national discussions on firearms …
Response (Leicestershire Police): Leicestershire Police will review cases from April 2023 for the past 5 years where certificates were seized, refused, revoked or surrendered and then subsequently approved, prioritizing cases where firearms were …
Response (Staffordshire Police): Staffordshire Police (and West Midlands Police, as part of a collaborated service) detail existing training for staff, including the National Triage Firearms Classification Course and Police National Decision Model training. …
Response (Home Office): The Home Office is allocating £500,000 to the College of Policing to develop accredited training for firearms licensing staff. They will consult on mandating this training and are working to …
Response (Thames Valley Police): Thames Valley Police will review seized and returned guns over a 5-year period, grants that have been revoked/refused/surrendered, and applications refused/revoked but subsequently granted via appeal. The aim is to …
Response (Devon and Cornwall Police): Devon and Cornwall Police completed a review of 611 license holders identified as meeting the criteria of having certificates seized, refused, revoked or surrendered and then subsequently approved between May …
Response (Norfolk Constabulary): Norfolk Constabulary will commission external training for Firearms Licensing Unit staff starting in May 2023. They will also conduct a review of certificates seized, refused, revoked, or surrendered and then …
Response (Derbyshire Police): Derbyshire Police has implemented IT system improvements for recording and sharing information, ensuring automatic notifications to the firearms licensing team for incidents involving license holders. They are developing a digital …
Response (Warwickshire Police): Warwickshire Police states that they have already responded to the Home Secretary's request in 2021 regarding license applications that were refused or revoked but subsequently granted. The force will direct …
Response (Suffolk Constabulary): Suffolk Constabulary will review cases relating to certificates issued between April 2019 and August 2020. For other periods, they will dip-sample cases, with a wider review if concerns are identified, …
Response (Dyfed Powys Police): Dyfed Powys Police will undertake a further review of decision files where firearms have been seized following any incident and subsequently returned to the holder. They welcome and support the …
Response (Northamptonshire Police): Northamptonshire Police will prioritise reviewing cases where firearms have been seized/surrendered and then returned, and cases where applications were refused/licenses revoked but later granted, completing this by 2nd October 2023. …
Responded
Angela Craddock
Concerns: An offender's Restraining Order was not communicated to prison staff, leading to breaches. Community rehabilitation services were unaware, affecting risk assessment and recall procedures upon release.
Response (HM Prison and Probabtion Service): Cheshire HMCTS introduced Dedicated Domestic Abuse Courts (DDAs), where HMCTS, CPS, Cheshire Police, and Probation Services work together to improve information sharing. Cheshire Probation provides a dedicated Court Duty Officer …
Response (Sodexo Government): HMP Altcourse has implemented a system where all documents are photocopied by Admissions, and the Public Protection Team collect them the following morning to implement relevant restrictions. Also, the Custody …
Responded
Ivan Ignatov
Concerns: A detainee's mental health assessment was missed in police custody, and an act of self-harm was misjudged. Critical risk information, including first-time custody status, was not properly recorded or collated, hindering comprehensive risk assessment.
Response (Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue): Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service states its commitment to the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) and highlights that the challenges of intra-operability with partners is an area …
Response (Dorset Police): Dorset Police has updated the Niche system by adding a drop-down list regarding Google Translate translation software. They are also implementing changes to Section 2 of Occurrence Logs on Niche, …
Response (Maritime and Coastguard Agency): HM Coastguard updated its Capability Matrix to provide partner emergency services across the UK with information on its communications capabilities and uploaded it to the MCA's ResilienceDirect page. 'Connect' call …
Response (National Fire Chiefs Council): The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supports the consistent and robust embedding of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) doctrine and will commence work in autumn 2023 to establish …
Response (South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust): The Trust outlines its existing communication protocols with other emergency services, including ambulance dispatchers' ability to communicate with air ambulances and telephone links with SAR aircraft via the Maritime and …
Response (NHS England): NHS England acknowledges concerns but notes many fall outside its remit. It encourages local systems to consider accessibility of resources and highlights agreed actions between Dorset Healthcare Criminal Justice Liaison …
Response (Associations of Ambulance Chief Executives): AACE will work with partners in police, fire and rescue, and search and rescue and the matter of concern will be discussed at the UKSAR Communications working group. The Medical …
Response (National Police Air Service): NPAS and HMCG have agreed to a series of joint familiarisation briefings for all staff and will develop a joint "quick action card" prioritising the need for the Host Force …
Response (Royal National Lifeboat Institution): The RNLI is updating its page on the government's "ResilienceDirect" platform with details about its capabilities and pulling together material to be shared directly with emergency services partners. The RNLI …
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing will amend the Detention and Custody APP checklist to include a question about previous arrests. Once this amendment has been made the College will write to …
Response (NicheRMS): NicheRMS circulated the facts of the coroner's report to Niche Technology customers and is seeking views on changes needed to reduce the chance of a similar occurrence. A temporary solution …
Responded
Carl Fullalove
Concerns: Inadequate police training on identifying nuanced symptoms of Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) and the risks of prone restraint for drug-intoxicated individuals led to fatal outcomes.
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing updated their First Aid Learning Programme (FALP) in April 2024 to include updated guidance on Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD), including de-escalation and communication strategies.
Overdue
William Helstrip
Concerns: The initial police investigation failed to properly probe drug sourcing via the "Dark Web" and Royal Mail, leading to the irretrievable loss of critical, time-sensitive evidence.
Response (Humberside Police): Humberside Police is developing an intranet resource for officers on coroner's inquiries, refreshing training on fast-track actions and golden hour principles, reviewing the sudden and unexpected death policy regarding drug-related …
Responded
Meghan Chrismas
Concerns: Inadequate supervision of police control room operators and the absence of effective information-sharing structures between NHS and private healthcare providers posed significant risks.
Response (Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary): The Constabulary provided CPD training on THRIVE Risk Assessment and Re-assessment of Risk to control room staff in 2023. They adopted the THRIVE risk assessment model in October 2023 and …
Response (NHS England): NHS England highlights existing policies and guidelines, including the Summary Care Record (SCR) and professional guidelines on information sharing, to address concerns about information transfer between NHS and private healthcare …
Responded
Chad Allford
Concerns: Police officers lacked crucial training and guidance on responding to drug concealment in the mouth, leading to unsafe interventions and failure to warn suspects of life-threatening choking risks.
Response (Derbyshire Constabulary): Derbyshire Constabulary has designed and implemented a lesson plan covering concealment of items in a subject’s mouth and mandated that safety training includes a scenario covering this topic. They have …
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing is revising the Personal Safety Manual to include guidance on informing a subject about the risk to their life when swallowing drugs. In the interim, communication …
Responded
Robert Evans
Concerns: A lack of guidance and power prevents police officers from ensuring medical attention for individuals suspected of swallowing drugs during a street search if not arrested, creating a critical gap in care compared to those in custody.
Response (National Police Chiefs Council): The NPCC Stop & Search portfolio will review the Regulation 28 document and work to ensure officers are equipped to resolve incidents such as these; they will work with other …
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing asserts that its Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Detention and Custody adequately addresses concerns about medical attention for individuals suspected of swallowing drugs, pointing to existing …
Responded
Sean Fitzgerald
Concerns: Inadequate national training and guidance on the timing of "armed police" announcements during tactical operations creates ambiguity, increasing risks of confusion and fatal consequences.
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing drafted additional guidance for inclusion within the APP on armed policing and post-incident procedures and published it in a NPCC national circular. The amended guidance has …
Overdue
Elaine Tarbuck
Concerns: The "Right Care, Right Person" policy led to misclassification of a "concern for welfare" call, causing significant delays in emergency services forcing entry and resulting in inappropriate first responder attendance.
Response (Greater Manchester Police): GMP are implementing measures to mitigate risks around the evaluation and assessment of concern for welfare calls, including mandatory briefings, enhanced training, revision of risk assessment tools, and a review …
Response (North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust): NWAS and GMP have implemented collaborative measures including targeted training, review of incident logs, visits by GMP supervisors to the NWAS control room, and ongoing meetings between leadership teams, to …
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing will highlight the issue of forced entry at the next meeting of the National RCRP Tactical Delivery Board to ensure national learning is shared; the College …
Responded
Ann Laskowsky
Concerns: Inadequate first aid training for police officers in assessing patient conditions and poor awareness of a dedicated medical advice line led to a failure to recognise severe medical needs.
Response (College of Policing): The College of Policing will formally raise the case of Ms. Laskowsky at the next meeting of the NPCC First Aid Forum on 4 December 2025, to ensure that national …
Response (West Yorkshire Police): West Yorkshire Police has posted an intranet briefing reminding staff about the YAS Partner Triage Line, included details in operational briefings, updated training and guidance material, and tasked the Right …
Response (National Police Chiefs Council): The NPCC has recommended that West Yorkshire Police implement clinical governance arrangements consistent with NPCC guidance and has offered support in implementing this. They confirm that assessment of breathing and …
Responded
Richard Haddock
Concerns: Police processes failed to notify the Firearms Licensing Department of a prosecution, and the department did not check PNC records, leading to a shotgun being returned to a prohibited individual.
Response (Devon Cornwall Police): Devon & Cornwall Police have improved processes within the Firearms Enquiry Licensing Unit (FELU) to ensure PNC checks are undertaken during suitability reviews and prior to the return of firearms. …
Responded
Benjamin Websdale
Concerns: There's no national recording of police officer suicides during misconduct investigations, preventing identification of risk and support needs. Also, not all police forces have implemented trauma education campaigns.
Response (National Police Chiefs Council): • The NPCC has been collating near real time suspected suicide surveillance data since January 2022, facilitated through the NPCC Suicide Prevention Steering Group and formulated from data returns provided …
Responded
Select committee recommendations(60)— showing 50 strongest matches
#18 —
Recommendation: We welcome the department’s work towards establishment of a mandatory national licensing database covering all taxi and private hire drivers, vehicles and operators. The database should enable licensing authorities to confirm licence status, licensing history and the responsible authority quickly …
Response Pending
#17 —
Recommendation: The absence of a comprehensive national database makes it harder for licensing authorities to make safe and consistent decisions, particularly where drivers, vehicles and operators work across authority boundaries. We welcome the fact that the department has started work to …
Response Pending
#16 —
Recommendation: We welcome the commitment from government that it intends, through legislation, to improve transparency and information sharing. The department should work with the Home Office to place information sharing between policing bodies and licensing authorities on a statutory footing so …
Response Pending
#15 —
Recommendation: We recognise that there are established routes for sharing safeguarding and risk information between the police and licensing authorities. However, in practice, information sharing remains inconsistent and results in uneven access to information that is crucial for public protection. (Conclusion, …
Response Pending
#12 —
Recommendation: We agree with the minister that every local authority must require drivers to have an enhanced DBS check and to be checked against the adults’ and children’s barring lists. We also recommend that requirements for safeguarding training and clear requirements …
Response Pending
#11 —
Recommendation: An enhanced DBS check is the highest level of criminal record check available, yet it seemingly does not guarantee that licensing authorities receive all the information they need to make sound judgements about licence applications. We are concerned that the …
Response Pending
#4 — Phased rollout of Awaab’s Law mitigates risks of resource diversion and inconsistent application.
Recommendation: We agree with the Government’s decision to rollout Awaab’s Law in phases, focusing on tackling the most dangerous hazards first. There are risks that efforts to comply with these regulations result in providers diverting resources away from the services they …
Gov response: 18. The government has published a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for England which sets out our plan to lift up to a million households out of fuel poverty. The new fuel poverty strategy places a …
Under Consideration
#5 — Mandate common national standards for police vetting, making vetting upon transfer statutory
Recommendation: Common standards for vetting should be enforced nationally, with sanctions upon non-compliant forces. We recommend the Government make vetting upon transfer a statutory requirement within the lifetime of the current Parliament. It should also ensure all forces immediately implement His …
Gov response: 14. The NPCC asked all forces to check officers and staff against the PND. Aside from this, the NPCC is working to develop a continuous integrity screening programme which will aim to improve intelligence sharing/flagging …
Under Consideration
#10 —
Recommendation: The National Audit Office reported that the vetting process used during recruitment had a disproportionate effect on ethnic minority applicants. Applicants of Asian and Black heritage had lower pass rates than those of White heritage and were more likely to …
Gov response: 5a. PAC recommendation: The Department and its partners should assist forces in monitoring their workforce by including within each statistical release on progress a table setting out the diversity of individual police forces compared to …
Accepted
#9 — Enable police forces to proactively access PND for adverse information on officers and staff
Recommendation: We support the recommendation from HMICFRS that by 31 December 2023 Chief Constables make routine use of the PND to discover otherwise unreported adverse information about officers and staff. We recommend that the Government, and HMICFRS, urgently work with the …
Gov response: 23. This recommendation aligns with the recommendations made in HMCI Cooke’s State of Policing Report, published on 6 June. 24. There is currently no legislative vehicle through which to legislate for increased powers for HMICFRS, …
Under Consideration
#23 —
Recommendation: The Department’s capability is split across multiple teams that function mostly independently, with siloed working, duplication, unclear roles, and missed investigative opportunities contributing to weak outcomes and low financial returns on counter-fraud activity.63 The Department’s counter- fraud and police teams …
Response Pending
#5 —
Recommendation: The fragmented structure of the Department’s counter-fraud and police teams limits its ability to respond effectively to allegations of fraud and economic crime or to understand how cases are progressing. The Department is a large and complex organisation, and it …
Response Pending
#11 —
Recommendation: In July 2021, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that it was extremely disappointing that 22 years after the publication of the Macpherson report the police service is still a very long way from being representative of the diverse communities …
Gov response: 5b. PAC recommendation: The Department should also respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report ‘The McPherson report: twenty-two years on’, particularly the recommendations relating to targets for the recruitment and retention of officers from …
Accepted
#8 — Inadequate intelligence hinders detection and intervention in police misconduct and re-vetting opportunities
Recommendation: Without appropriate intelligence, forces cannot detect patterns of misconduct or criminal behaviour among officers and staff, or act on them. Proactively alerting forces to new adverse information would provide a valuable opportunity for re- vetting or intervention which may, in …
Gov response: 20. It is right that we consider the impact of changes to the misconduct, vetting and performance systems. We anticipate that it could take some time for a sufficient number of cases, commenced under any …
Under Consideration
#3 — Inconsistent police vetting practices and evaded transfer vetting undermine public trust
Recommendation: 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 …
Gov response: 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 …
Under Consideration
#24 —
Recommendation: The NAO highlighted that the Department’s teams lack awareness of each other’s criteria and thresholds for pursuing or prioritising cases.67 We questioned the Department whether this, combined with its structure, would make it challenging for it to decide the most …
Response Pending
#11 —
Recommendation: The Department recognised that there has been a “tricky relationship” in the past between its counter-fraud and police teams, with issues around willingness to share information impacting the timeliness of reporting on case progress.22 It told us it believes these …
Response Pending
#9 —
Recommendation: Previous reviews of Defence policing have highlighted issues relevant to how the Department manages fraud and economic crime. These include siloed working and mistrust between counter-fraud and police teams, inefficiencies and duplication, while the relatively few criminal investigations tend not …
Response Pending
#29 —
Recommendation: The Department recognised that the Formula was out of date but told us that, as there was no credible alternative available, it was confident that it was appropriate to use the existing formula to allocate the 20,000 officers.44 The National …
Gov response: 4. PAC conclusion: We are concerned that the distribution of new officers may not give police forces what they need to respond to the demands they face. 4. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, …
Accepted
#28 —
Recommendation: The Department based the allocation of the 20,000 additional officers between police forces on the long-outdated Police Allocation Formula.41 Our predecessor Committee noted that this formula was obsolete and in 2018 recommended that “The Department must urgently commit to reviewing …
Gov response: 4. PAC conclusion: We are concerned that the distribution of new officers may not give police forces what they need to respond to the demands they face. 4. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, …
Accepted
#12 —
Recommendation: The recent Strategic Review of Policing also concluded that the Programme was ‘having a negligible impact on workforce diversity’.18 We asked the Department if it was disappointed that the comment had been made. The Department told us that it did …
Gov response: 5b. PAC recommendation: The Department should also respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report ‘The McPherson report: twenty-two years on’, particularly the recommendations relating to targets for the recruitment and retention of officers from …
Not Addressed
#4 —
Recommendation: We are concerned that the distribution of new officers may not give police forces what they need to respond to the demands they face. The Department has set recruitment targets for each police force based on the Police Allocation Formula …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. has publicly committed to reviewing the formula before the next General Election. The technical phase of the Police Funding Formula Review, which will deliver proposals for new funding …
Accepted
#4 —
Recommendation: The current sanctions are not effective in deterring people from committing waste crime. Under the current regime almost anybody can register with the Agency as a waste carrier and present themselves to the public as a legitimate person to take …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented The Sentencing Council is a statutory body responsible for issuing sentencing guidance for use by the Courts. It must consult those it considers appropriate in developing …
Accepted
#3 —
Recommendation: HMPPS has failed to provide police forces and the Probation Service with timely access to the tagging information they need to effectively supervise offenders and protect the public. HMPPS expected Gemini and the user portal to enhance probation officers’ supervision …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation approach in their area in consultation with their local communities. Under the NO programme, local authorities are responsible for developing their own Clean Air Plans. Throughout plan development, …
Accepted
#12 — Publish timetable for creating automatic gross misconduct offences list by year-end
Recommendation: There are circumstances where the public would hold dismissal appropriate but current regulations do not provide a clear mechanism for it. Dismissing an officer who fails re-vetting should be straightforward and we welcome the Home Office’s commitment to this. We …
Gov response: 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 …
Under Consideration
#4 — Empower College of Policing to mandate consistent, values-based recruitment processes for all forces
Recommendation: We recommend the Home Office empower the College of Policing to require forces to use consistent recruitment processes which include values-based interviewing. We expect to see all forces aligning recruitment processes and utilising values-based interviewing within 12 months.
Gov response: 11. Wellbeing and onboarding surveys consistently demonstrate that quality of supervision and line management is the biggest factor in retention and wellbeing. CoP have rolled out new national leadership standards and accompanying development programmes for …
Under Consideration
#26 —
Recommendation: We asked the Department about the feedback given to whistleblowers from the Confidential Hotline. The Department told us that feedback is provided to whistleblowers in every case, noting that details provided would be case-specific. However, the separate case management systems …
Response Pending
#25 —
Recommendation: The Department told us it is “improving and consolidating [its] approach to the Confidential Hotline and the case management system”, as well as exploring the possibility of providing officials in Fraud Defence with access to the Ministry of Defence Police …
Response Pending
#2 —
Recommendation: The Department has not responded to the huge potential fraud risk it faces with the degree of focus and leadership we would expect. Previous reviews of Defence policing have repeatedly identified siloed working, weak ownership and a lack of trust …
Response Pending
#19 —
Recommendation: The Department’s failure to deliver NLEDS to date means that the increasingly fragile PNC system has not been replaced, bringing greater risks for police operations and requiring the police to bear more cost. In this report we have already mentioned …
Gov response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: August 2022 4.2 The Police National Computer (PNC) is a critical national infrastructure, and it is vital that it be constantly available to policing …
Not Addressed
#31 —
Recommendation: The National Audit Office reported that to demonstrate value for money in the longer term, the Department must show that the investment in additional officers has better enabled police forces to reduce crime and increase public confidence in policing. To …
Gov response: 6. PAC conclusion: Government has not yet set what impact the programme will have on forces’ ability to tackle crime, the public’s trust in policing or the wider Criminal Justice System. 6a. PAC recommendation: The …
Accepted
#30 —
Recommendation: We asked whether the Programme was about more ‘bobbies on the beat’ rather than tackling the more complex areas of crime that are growing, such as serious sexual offences and fraud. The Department told us that the Programme would not …
Gov response: The government is committed to tackling all types of crime, including serious sexual offences and fraud. As the Committee notes, the Police Uplift Programme is focused on recruiting officers at the entry level, whereas crimes …
Accepted
#26 —
Recommendation: These challenges were particularly evident in relation to the Metropolitan Police Service, which has faced a number of recent high-profile incidents involving serving police officers. In his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee in April 2022, the Acting Commissioner …
Gov response: 5. PAC conclusion: Despite their successes so far, the Department and its partners face a challenging final year to deliver the remainder of the Programme. 5a. PAC recommendation: The Department and its partners should assist …
Not Addressed
#21 —
Recommendation: We asked the Department how it was confident that these changes in approach, particularly the online assessment process, were ensuring police forces were recruiting the right people and avoiding the recurrence of historic issues. The Department told us that the …
Gov response: The Home Office works closely with forces to ensure that recruitment processes are fair, transparent and inclusive. As of June 2022, data shows the highest proportion of female officers and officers from ethnic minority backgrounds …
Not Addressed
#9 —
Recommendation: Policing in England and Wales has struggled with increasing ethnic diversity within its ranks. Based on the 2011 census some 14% of the population of England and Wales are from ethnic minority groups, but in 2019 only 6.9% of serving …
Gov response: 5. PAC conclusion: Despite their successes so far, the Department and its partners face a challenging final year to deliver the remainder of the Programme. 5a. PAC recommendation: The Department and its partners should assist …
Not Addressed
#1 —
Recommendation: On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office (the Department) about the Police Uplift Programme (the Programme).1
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Programme captures lessons following key activity and periodically. Some of these lessons have already been shared across policing, the Home Office and with other government departments. As the …
Accepted
#6 —
Recommendation: Government has not yet set out what impact the Programme will have on forces’ ability to tackle crime, the public’s trust in policing or the wider Criminal Justice System. The success of the Programme to date is in part due …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation framework. This framework, which is subject to ministerial agreement, will be in place in Autumn 2022, with the evaluation expected to continue for several years. The evaluation will …
Accepted
#1 —
Recommendation: Police forces’ resources are stretched, so it seems unsatisfactory that they bear most of the cost of processing applications for firearms licences. It would seem desirable to move towards a situation where those people seeking a licence pay a fee …
Gov response: The Committee recommended a consultation on the introduction of a two-tier system of licensing fees, with those who use firearms for leisure purposes paying the full cost of their licence applications, and those who require …
Under Consideration
#10 —
Recommendation: Thirdly, shooting organisations like the British Association for Shooting and Conservation have expressed concerns that “there remain too many loopholes for the forces to choose from”.26 They state that this may cause inconsistencies between police forces dealing with firearms, saying …
Gov response: The UK Government has looked at the recommendations from the Committee alongside Prevention of Future Deaths reports issued by the Senior Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon on 8 March 2023, following the inquest …
Under Consideration
#18 —
Recommendation: On funding, the Department confirmed that it might give forces funds to ‘come on board’ and test things early, and that it had put aside a £30 million contingency, specifically to work with individual forces on their adoption of the …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#17 —
Recommendation: We asked about the inherent difficulty of reconciling the need to maintain the autonomy of individual police forces with the need to implement co-ordinated and consistent IT transformation across all of the forces. The Department said it accepted that the …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#16 —
Recommendation: The Department told us that the approach it is now taking is “to have the police on the inside”, with policing involved in all the decision-making at every single level.29 The Department said that previously in the programme, police had …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#15 —
Recommendation: The former SRO acknowledged that the Department had not achieved the sense of partnership with the police that it would have liked and that, following the first reset and finding things were even worse than previously realised, it was understandable …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#14 —
Recommendation: Despite the Department’s attempt to reset the programme in 2019, the police continued to have concerns about progress. In September 2020, the programme’s Chief Constables’ Reference Group stated that a failure to deliver against a proposed second reset would result …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#13 —
Recommendation: The operational independence of UK police forces is a key challenge for the Department’s implementation of national law enforcement programmes such as NLEDS. The 45 UK police forces are independent of central government, which means that the Department does not …
Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 …
Not Addressed
#3 —
Recommendation: Working effectively with the police is critical to the delivery of NLEDS and other technology programmes, but it is not yet clear that the Department’s new approach will resolve longstanding challenges in delivering national programmes for local forces. We recognise …
Gov response: 4. PAC conclusion: Skills shortages in the civil service could compromise departments’ ability to achieve efficiency savings.
Under Consideration
#32 —
Recommendation: We challenged the Department on this issue, noting that it had calculated that as a result of the Programme some additional 500,000 crimes prevented annually from 2024–
Gov response: 6. PAC conclusion: Government has not yet set what impact the programme will have on forces’ ability to tackle crime, the public’s trust in policing or the wider Criminal Justice System. 6a. PAC recommendation: The …
Accepted
#8 —
Recommendation: Diversity in policing is slowly improving, but it has continued along the same trend for the past ten years. Prior to the launch of the Programme in September 2019, almost 32% of police officers were female, and by December 2021 …
Gov response: 5. PAC conclusion: Despite their successes so far, the Department and its partners face a challenging final year to deliver the remainder of the Programme. 5a. PAC recommendation: The Department and its partners should assist …
Not Addressed
#7 —
Recommendation: As of March 2022, the Programme was on track to deliver the planned number of additional officers. By the end of its first year (2020–21) the Programme had helped police forces to recruit 8,762 police officers, against a target of …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: August 2023 1.2 As is good practice under the government project delivery framework, the Police Uplift Programme captures lessons following key activity and periodically. Some …
Accepted
#5 —
Recommendation: Despite their successes so far, the Department and its partners face a challenging final year to deliver the remainder of the Programme. We are encouraged that the Programme met and exceeded its second-year target of recruiting 12,000 additional officers. To …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The government agrees with the recommendation to respond to the Macpherson report and the need for police forces to be representative of the communities they serve. …
Accepted
CQC inspection actions(8)
Redcot Lodge Residential Care Home
The provider must operate effectively established recruitment procedures to meet the regulations.
Must Do
Benthorn Lodge
The registered person failed to ensure that robust recruitment practices were carried out to ensure only people suitable to work with vulnerable people were recruited.
Must Do
West Farm House
Safe recruitment practice was not being followed.
Must Do
Aarondale House
The provider develops a system to ensure relevant checks are made to ensure staff are of good character and suitable for their role prior to employment.
Should Do
The Briars
Recruitment procedures had not been fully established and operated effectively to ensure that persons employed were suitable to work at the service.
Must Do
Meadow Green
The provider must ensure fit and proper persons are employed by referring staff who are unsuitable to work with vulnerable groups to the DBS, in line with Regulation 19 (2) (a).
Must Do
Alde House
The provider and registered manager must ensure all required pre-employment checks are carried out, including routinely checking on the health status of all new candidates.
Must Do
Benthorn Lodge
The provider must ensure that recruitment procedures are robust enough to ensure only suitable staff are employed by the service.
Must Do
HMICFRS recommendations(3)
An inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service
9 recommendations on national standards, guidance and training
Recommendation
An inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service
3 recommendations on legislative/regulatory changes to strengthen vetting framework
Recommendation
An inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service
28 recommendations covering vetting standards, counter-corruption, misconduct processes and tackling misogyny
Recommendation
ICIBI immigration recommendations(3)
An inspection of Border Force operations at south coast seaports
Ensure a formal and transparent process is in place for the storage and disposal of vessels used for immigration offences, where this is not covered by existing legislation. 6.7. Partially …
An inspection of Border Force operations at south coast seaports
Ensure that the reviews (Recommendations 1 and 2) take note of the importance placed by harbour masters and marina managers on face-to-face contact with familiar officers as the best way …
An inspection of Border Force operations at south coast seaports
As a matter of urgency, fix the Civil Penalty scheme, so that Notices (fines) are issued wherever appropriate and payment is pursued promptly. 4.5. Accepted 4.6. The Clandestine Entrant civil …
IOPC learning recommendations(10)
National recommendations relating to 'Wayne Couzens failures' - National Police Chiefs' Council …
The IOPC recommends that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) considers the development and implementation of a Continuous Integrity Screening capability which will notify the appropriate Professional Standard Department’s (PSD) of when a police officer or police staff member is …
Collision following pursuit - Thames Valley Police, May 2019
The IOPC recommends that Thames Valley Police (TVP) makes sure that all relevant checks are carried out before officers who have transferred from another force are authorised to drive with Thames Valley Police. This should include ensuring that officers meet …
National recommendation - College of Policing, December 2019
When a police officer transfers from one force to another, their disciplinary history with their parent force is shared with the receiving force's vetting department. However, during an IOPC investigation it became apparent that not all vetting departments share the …
Recommendation - Warwickshire Police, May 2026
The IOPC recommends that should Warwickshire Police officers receive Reflective Practice Review Process (RPRP) for any minor misuse of Warwickshire Police computer systems, they conduct a review of that officer’s use of police computer systems on a regular basis. This …
Handling of missing person’s report - West Yorkshire Police, November
West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should develop and implement a process whereby when a notification/request for retirement or resignation is received by Human Resources, liaison with WYP Professional Standards Department takes place to establish whether the officer of staff member is …
Recommendations - Metropolitan Police Service, June 2024
The IOPC recommends that, where information or intelligence is obtained by the MPS about a potential declarable association, or an actual or perceived inappropriate relationship which does not amount to potential conduct, that an intervention with the officer or staff …
Recommendations - Surrey Police, August 2020
The IOPC recommends that Surrey Police review and update the CCTV in Custody policy (v4.02.19) to reflect: a) that it is not standard procedure to CCTV record strip or intimate searches, and that the recording of such searches should not …
Recommendations - Surrey Police, August 2020
The IOPC recommends that all Surrey Police custody implement measures in its custody suites to prevent the routine CCTV recording of strip and intimate searches of detainees, as soon as reasonably practicable. This follows an investigation where a female was …
National recommendation - The National Police Chiefs' Council, December 2020
The IOPC recommends that the National Police Chiefs’ Council shares the learning from recent IOPC investigations with relevant force custody leads, asking them to review and update their custody and CCTV policies to reflect: a) that strip and intimate searches …
Recommendation - College of Policing, March 2026
The IOPC recommends that the College of Policing review their training and guidance around the use of force on people who are pregnant, including Public and Personal Safety Training and the Personal Safety Manual. This follows an IOPC review of …
IMB individual recommendations(46)
Long Lartin (2020)
Recruitment of healthcare staff continues to be hampered by the extremely slow vetting process.
HMPPS
Noted
Werrington (2025)
What immediate steps will the Minister take to address the delays in the vetting process, which are significantly impacting the timely commencement of staff and IMB members, and how will the system be reformed to prevent future backlogs?
Ministry of Justice
Eastwood Park (2025)
The Board is concerned about the inordinate backlog of potential staff appointments that are awaiting vetting. This includes prison staff, healthcare and maintenance appointments and head of education, skills and work and IMB applicants. What urgent measures will the Minister take to clear this backlog and ensure that operational delivery, safety, and governance are not further compromised?
Ministry of Justice
In Progress
Cardiff IMB (2025)
Pa gamau fydd y Gweinidog yn eu cymryd ar unwaith i fynd i'r afael â'r oedi yn y broses archwilio, sy'n rhwystr sylweddol wrth recriwtio staff carchardai ac aelodau'r Bwrdd Monitro Annibynnol?
Ministry of Justice
Cardiff (2025)
What immediate action will the Minister take to address the delays in the vetting process, which are a significant hindrance in the recruitment of prison staff and IMB members?
Ministry of Justice
In Progress
Feltham (2020)
What is being done to address the fact that contraband continues to be discovered during lockdown?
Governor / Director
Featherstone (2020)
The number of drug and illicit finds continues to be of concern. Lockdown restrictions suggest that items enter the establishment through staff channels/official visitors, yet there are still only limited searches undertaken. Can the Governor consider a more robust approach to the scrutiny of all staff/official prison visitors?
Governor / Director
Coldingley (2023)
Group arrivals of prisoners are happening without the necessary checks for connections. This has become noticeably worse over the past year. What can be done to improve the quality of pre-transfer checking being undertaken and ensure all prisoners are housed safely and kept apart from known connections?
HMPPS
Pentonville (2020)
Will the recording and scrutiny of use of force incidents be prioritised?
Governor / Director
Leeds (2020)
Will the Governor ensure that staff use BWVC’s at the very start of any incident where use of force is likely to be employed?
Governor / Director
Wealstun (2021)
Ensure that there is a comprehensive review of the use of body scanners, including better training for officers and consistency across the estate, so that prisoners are not segregated when the only evidence is the scan image (which is subject to interpretation) (para 5.2.6 et seq.).
HMPPS
In Progress
Hindley (2022)
The selection and recruitment of staff does not currently involve the local prison and so no consideration can be given to the specific needs of the prison or the personal aptitude of the applicant. As the attrition rate of 23% in the first year indicates a weakness in selection, induction or initial training, is anything being done to review the …
HMPPS
Altcourse (2024)
How will the prison monitor the use of batons and Pava?
Governor / Director
Doncaster (2025)
Given the significant backlog in the vetting system, which is causing lengthy delays for new officers and staff, what immediate steps will the Minister take to review and resolve this issue?
Other
In Progress
Chelmsford (2025)
Body worn video camera (BWVC) footage (video and audio) is a huge benefit to internal investigations, but it is only evidential when continuous. If video cannot be shown, such as, for example, for modesty reasons, the audio must remain uninterrupted to be used as proof. Will the Prison Service make this standard practice for all departments, functions, and all officers? …
HMPPS
Charter Flight (2020)
Use of IRC staff dressed in riot gear when they present a returnee for transfer to escorts’ custody must be kept under constant review (see section 3.7).
Other
Charter Flight (2020)
Video coverage of escorts collecting a returnee at the IRC can be inadequate if only one body-worn camera is used. This approach must be reviewed, as must the approach to filming incidents which happen on the plane before take-off or while it is in the air (see paragraphs 3.8.1 and 3.8.6, third bullet).
Other
Cardiff (2020)
The increase in the number of use of force incidents is a concern to the Board. We realise that the safer custody group is attempting to reverse this trend by acknowledging good practice and training, but the early activation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) should continue to be encouraged (see paragraphs 4.5.2 and 4.5.3).
Governor / Director
Buckley Hall (2020)
Improve the playback facilities for body-worn video camera (BWVC) evidence (see paragraph 4.5.1)
Governor / Director
Brook House (2020)
Continue assessments for escorted visits, to see if the use of handcuffs can be reduced further.
Governor / Director
Belmarsh (2020)
Will the prison take steps to encourage greater use of body-worn cameras in the high security and segregation units, to bring levels of use in line with the rest of the prison (see sections 5.2.1 and 5.2.2)?
Governor / Director
Swaleside (2021)
The lack of sufficient Body Worn Cameras needs addressing. (see sections 3.1, 4.5 and 5.2)
HMPPS
In Progress
Foston Hall (2021)
The IMB is concerned about: the high, if erratic, level of use of force, and the need for improvement in the use of body worn cameras
Governor / Director
Deerbolt (2021)
Are there arrangements in place to avoid gang culture having an impact on prisons like Deerbolt?
HMPPS
Altcourse (2021)
The use of rigid handcuffs has been partially introduced in Altcourse. As SPEAR training, a necessary prerequisite, has been suspended due to the pandemic, they cannot be widely used but the intention is to roll out their use more widely. The Board was therefore concerned to learn, during the compilation of this report, that the use of such cuffs will …
HMPPS
Implemented
Stocken (2022)
The vetting process should be speeded up so that people appointed subject to vetting do not find another job while waiting to be vetted.
Ministry of Justice
Low Newton (2022)
The Governor should ensure that body worn cameras are used more consistently during use of force incidents.
Governor / Director
In Progress
Gatwick IRC/RSTHF (2022)
Reduce the prevalence of the use of handcuffs on escort, by striking a better balance between security and the risk of harm or distress to the detained man (section 4.5.1).
Governor / Director
Portland (2023)
All prison officers wearing BWVCs
Governor / Director
Swaleside (2024)
At present, the prison only has 180 (Body Worn Cameras) BWC available, which means there are insufficient numbers to issue to all staff. This situation needs to rectified, so that all staff can be issued with cameras.
HMPPS
Implemented
Wormwood Scrubs (2025)
What further measures will the Governor take to improve the take up and use of body worn video cameras?
Governor / Director
Swansea (2025)
Ensuring greater use of BWVCs, and the pre-record function in particular?
Governor / Director
Standford Hill (2025)
Body worn cameras should be worn routinely.
Governor / Director
North East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber STHF (2025)
We request an audit of the use of handcuffs or other restraints for escorts to vans at Sheffield Vulcan House for the period covered by this report so that Care & Custody and the Home Office can review the impact of the issue and consider whether this practice is necessary or if other solutions can be implemented. We also request …
Home Office
Portland (2020)
The Board continues to have concerns about some aspects of use of force practises – specifically, the failure of staff to wear and/or switch on body-worn cameras. The recovery of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the wings is still problematic. The timely and adequate completion of use of force paperwork has improved, with fewer outstanding reports, but continues to require …
Governor / Director
High Down (2020)
What steps does the Prison Service intend to take to ensure there are sufficient body worn video cameras and that they are worn by all officers who have contact with prisoners, and used in accordance with PSI 04/2017?
HMPPS
In Progress
Highpoint (2021)
The Board recommends that in the interests of fairness and safety the increased use of body-worn video cameras is strongly encouraged.
Governor / Director
Durham (2021)
What more can the Governor do to embed the use of body worn video cameras (BWVC) in the prison (4.4.6)?
Governor / Director
Liverpool (2022)
Continue to insist on the usage of body warn camera by all on duty officers.
Governor / Director
Charter Flight (2022)
The extent of use of force or of restraint on returnees to European destinations on the one hand and on returnees to non-European destinations on the other hand was noticeable. It must be kept under constant review.
Home Office
Yarl’s Wood IRC (2023)
the culture of professional conduct and behaviour is maintained through the officer’s training, inductions and ongoing review of culture amongst staff.
Governor / Director
Thorn Cross (2023)
To ensure that Body Worn Video Cameras are used for every instance where force is used (4.4.1).
Governor / Director
Lancaster Farms (2023)
To ensure the effective use of body-worn cameras by prison staff.
Governor / Director
Downview (2023)
A lack of consistency in the application of prison rules by staff is frequently mentioned by prisoners during our monitoring. This may be exacerbated by staff inexperience and the ongoing regular staff redeployment. Staff tell us they feel undermined and less confident in maintaining safety, and prisoners cite frustration at perceived unfairness when senior managers overrule decision-making (sections 5.3, 5.6).
Governor / Director
Pentonville (2025)
What additional measures will you take to ensure that all officers wear their body worn video cameras and use them in the event of an incident, in particular where force is used?
Governor / Director
Altcourse (2025)
How does the Minister intend to address the negative consequences, in terms of late arrivals, lost property and levels of violence, when locating prisoners outside their home area?
Ministry of Justice
In Progress
Detention investigations(3)
Investigation into the Disturbance and Fire at Yarl's Wood Removal … — Rec 25
arrangements are introduced to prohibit the staff of removal centres and escort contractors from membership of racist organisations.
Immigration Detention
Investigation into Allegations of Racism and Mistreatment of Detainees at … — Rec 8
I recommend IND reviews the assessment and screening processes developed for the police to determine whether they might be relevant in an immigration context.
Immigration Detention
Assessment of government progress in implementing the report on the … — Rec 40
The Home Offce should roll out the use of body worn cameras to all IRCs and robustly monitor their use.
Immigration Detention
LGO / SPSO decisions(42)
23-019-557 — Leicestershire County Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to consider Mr X’s appeal against its decision to refuse his application to be a school transport driver following a negative disclosure barring service (DBS)check. There is insufficient evidence of any fault by the Council which would warrant an …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Apr 2024
21-014-392 — Police & Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Police and Crime Commissioner. This is because the complaint relates to the investigation or prevention of a crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Feb 2022
21-013-484 — London Borough of Croydon
Summary: Mr B says the Council wrongly removed and scrapped his vehicle when it was not abandoned. The Council was not at fault for removing the vehicle. However, the Council failed to follow its policy before destroying it. An apology to Mr B, payment to reflect the value of the …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Upheld
Jul 2022
23-013-958 — Gloucester City Council
Summary: Mr X complains the bailiff went to collect a debt from him in breach of the Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) he had in place. We find fault with the bailiff acting on behalf of the Council for failing to log to IVA correctly, sending an enforcement letter and sending …
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Upheld
Jun 2024
24-023-241 — Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that the Council refused to investigate her complaints about a police officer and a councillor. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Jun 2025
25-004-685 — Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Authority. This is because the law excludes us from investigating the actions of the police.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Jul 2025
25-002-363 — Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Police’s handling of a crime investigation and the Authority’s review of a related complaint. This is because we have no power to investigate complaints connected with the investigation or prevention of crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Jul 2025
24-009-980 — Police & Crime Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about actions taken by the Police when they seized Mr X’s vehicle. We do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the Police.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Oct 2024
23-018-506 — Transport for London
Summary: Mr B says Transport for London delayed renewing his taxi licence before it expired despite the fact it had granted previous licences based on the same documentation. TfL delayed considering Mr B’s representations after it raised concerns about his DBS check. An apology and payment to Mr B is …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Upheld
Oct 2024
21-013-072 — Kingston Upon Hull City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to refuse an application for a private hire drivers licence. This is because the Council’s decision carries a right of appeal to the magistrates court.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Jan 2022
21-001-854 — Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: Mr X complained about how the Police and Crime Commissioner handled his contacts about the actions of officers of a police force, including those delegated to take actions on behalf of the Chief Constable. The Ombudsman’s decision is we should end our investigation. This is because Mr X is …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Not Upheld
Feb 2022
22-005-739 — North Yorkshire County Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s lack of parking enforcement on the roads near his home. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council and the Council’s actions have not caused Mr X significant injustice.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Aug 2022
22-000-680 — Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: Mr X complained the Council did not follow its policies and procedures when considering his reports of antisocial behaviour by a neighbour. He also complained the Council did not provide an appropriate remedy when he complained about its handling of his case. Mr X says the Council’s actions caused …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Upheld
Nov 2022
23-019-859 — South Gloucestershire Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to renew the complainant’s taxi driver licence and require him to apply as a new applicant. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
May 2024
24-005-089 — Birmingham City Council
Summary: We will not investigate X’s complaint about a social worker’s private actions. Social Work England and the Police are better placed.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Sep 2024
24-006-996 — Wiltshire Council
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Police and Crime Panel considered his complaint about the Police and Crime Commissioner’s conduct.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2024
24-010-777 — Durham County Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the response to her complaint from the Durham Police and Crime Panel. This is because it does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is insufficient personal injustice caused to her …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2024
25-003-778 — Transport for London
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about taxi licensing because it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to approach the courts about the matter, who are better placed than us to consider the complaint.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Aug 2025
25-009-199 — Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Police’s handling of a criminal investigation and the decision to make a safeguarding referral for Mr X’s child.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2025
25-008-447 — Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about someone filming Miss X. This is mainly because the Information Commissioner is better placed than us to deal with the matter.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Nov 2025
24-009-983 — Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Mayor’s Office oversight of the Metropolitan Police. This is because we do not have proper consent for Mr K to represent Ms L, but even if we did we cannot investigation the actions of any policing body in connection with the investigation …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Oct 2024
24-014-335 — Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Police Crime Commissioner would not complete an independent review. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate where we cannot make findings on the substantive matter.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Dec 2024
25-012-861 — Kingston Upon Hull City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a complaint about the conduct of a councillor. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Dec 2025
25-013-225 — Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Monitoring Officer’s handling of a standards complaint. This is because we have no power to investigate complaints connected with the investigation or prevention of crime.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Dec 2025
202008542 — Glasgow City Council
C, a taxi driver, complained about the way the council had handled their medical examination which they were required to attend to determine their fitness to DVLA Group 2 medical standards (medical standards for driver licencing refer to two groups, with Group 2 licence holders usually requiring substantially higher medical …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Local Government
Upheld
Jan 2023
PSOW-202307277/202307318 — Bridgend County Borough Council/Porthcawl Town Council
The Ombudsman received a complaint that a Member (“the Member”) of Bridgend County Borough Council (“the County Council”) and Porthcawl Town Council (“the Town Council”) had breached the Code of Conduct (“the Code”) by failing to declare an interest. It was alleged that the Member had failed to declare a …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Local Government
Not Upheld
Sep 2024
PSOW-202307279/202307319 — Porthcawl Town Council/Bridgend County Borough Council
The Ombudsman received a complaint that a member (“the Member”) of Bridgend County Borough Council (“the County Council”) and Porthcawl Town Council (“the Town Council”) had breached the Code of Conduct (“the Code”) by failing to declare an interest. It was alleged that the Member had failed to declare a …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Local Government
Not Upheld
Sep 2024
21-003-909 — Gloucester City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about noise abatement notices issued by the Council. This is because it was reasonable for the complainant to appeal the notices to the magistrates’ court. The complainant has now lodged an appeal after she was found guilty of breaching one of the notices. …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Mar 2022
21-017-991 — Horsham District Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council issuing him with penalty charge notices. Mr X had a right of appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for each ticket, and it would have been reasonable for him to use this.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Mar 2022
21-018-512 — West Lancashire Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to issue a Community Protection Notice warning as there is not enough evidence of fault in the way it was made.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Mar 2022
21-018-353 — Transport for London
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about Transport for London’s handling of his appeal against a penalty charge notice. This is because there is no evidence of fault causing Mr X significant injustice.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Apr 2022
21-018-838 — West Suffolk Council
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a penalty charge notice as Mr X appealed against it to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The complaint is now no longer within our remit. Mr X’s complaint that the Council will not confirm whether it owns the land where he was parked is …
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Apr 2022
24-006-278 — Basildon Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Fixed Penalty Notice for littering. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s actions, and insufficient evidence any fault caused Mr X’s injustice.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Sep 2024
24-021-431 — London Borough of Haringey
Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about seizure of her vehicle by Council-commissioned Enforcement Agents. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council or its Agent to warrant us investigating.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Jun 2025
25-003-534 — Cornwall Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his reports of antisocial behaviour. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault and we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X wants.
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Aug 2025
25-002-122 — Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council issuing Ms X a Fixed Penalty Notice for fly tipping. This is because Ms X could have used her right to raise a defence against the issuing of the Notice in court if she believed it had been incorrectly …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Aug 2025
24-018-504 — London Borough of Camden
Summary: Mr H complained the Council has taken control of a car he bought, for an unpaid fine the seller had not paid. We found the Council is not at fault.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Not Upheld
Aug 2025
23-015-901 — London Borough of Bexley
Summary: Mrs X complains the Council have unfairly dealt with reports of items in the front garden of her property under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act. Mrs X says this has caused her a great deal of distress. We have discontinued investigating this complaint as Ms …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Not Upheld
Oct 2024
24-011-699 — Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to revoke his taxi driver’s licence. This is because it would have been reasonable for Mr X to appeal to the magistrates’ court. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to reinstate his licence …
LGO (Local Government & …
Environment And Regulation
Oct 2024
25-009-509 — Leicester City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s contact with the Council at one of its offices. This is because it is more appropriate for the Police to investigate Mr X’s complaint, and in any case there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Sep 2025
24-008-917 — Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the decisions of the Police and Crime Commissioner relating to the disposal of residential properties. This is because those decisions affect all or most of the people who live in the Authority’s area. In any case, we would not investigate because there …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Oct 2024
24-005-785 — London Borough of Redbridge
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council falsely accused him of illegally metal-detecting on Council-owned land. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Oct 2024