Changes to the police disciplinary system
Seeks views on holding disciplinary and appeal hearings in public, introducing legally qualified chairs in disciplinary hearings, protecting whistleblowers and changes to chief officer compensation payments.
This consultation seeks views on proposals for changes to the police disciplinary system, and strengthening protections for police whistleblowers.
The government wants to ensure that the systems and processes that deal with misconduct by police officers are robust, independent and transparent to the public, and that whistleblowers in the police are able to come forward with complete confidence.
The consultation proposes:
- a power for disciplinary hearing panels to remove or adjust the compensation payments due to chief officers on termination of their appointment, where a disciplinary finding is made against them
- the introduction of legally qualified chairmen/women to conduct police disciplinary hearings
- changes to regulations to clarify that whistleblowers should not be subject to disciplinary action for taking the necessary steps to report a concern and that reprisals against whistleblowers should be treated as a conduct matter
- holding police disciplinary hearings and appeals in public
This consultation focuses on reforms that can be made in the short-term through changes to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012. A second consultation later this year will set out longer terms reforms to the police disciplinary system, police whistleblowing and the police complaints system.
Alongside the consultation document, an assessment of the economic and financial impacts of the proposed changes are included for your information and reference.
How to respondThe deadline for responses is Friday 2 January 2015.
Please send your comments to policeregsconsultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Or send it by post to:
Police disciplinary regulations consultation
Police Integrity and Powers Unit
6th floor NW, Fry building
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF