A watchdog has warned that hundreds, if not thousands, of corrupt officers
may be employed in the police forces of England and Wales.
If measures to improve screening checks had been put in place earlier, the
chances of someone like Sarah Everard’s murderer Wayne Couzens receiving a
career as a police officer would have been “obviously decreased,” according
to inspector of constabulary Matt Parr.
The HMICFRS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue
Services) investigated eight forces, scrutinising hundreds of police
vetting files for new recruits. It claimed that it had discovered too many
examples in which persons, particularly those with criminal records or
connections to organised crime, should not have been permitted to join the
police force and that it was “too easy” for them to do so.
The inspection, commissioned by then-home secretary Priti Patel in the
aftermath of Ms Everard’s murder in October last year, concluded that a
culture of misogyny, sexism, and predatory behaviour toward female police
officers, staff, and members of the public still exists and is “prevalent”
in many forces.
This culture, according to Mr Parr, was prominent in “all the forces we
inspected,” which he described as a “depressing finding.”
In addition to the forces associated with Couzens – The Metropolitan
Police, Kent Police, and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary – the inspection
looked into procedures in Cumbria, South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Dorset,
and Devon and Cornwall.
“It is far too easy for the wrong people to join and stay in the police,”
Mr Parr added. If the police are to regain public trust and protect their
own female officers and personnel, vetting must become considerably more
stringent, and sexual misconduct must be taken much more seriously.”
Although he was unable to estimate the total number of such officers still
serving, he told reporters, “It seems reasonable for me to say that over
the last three or four years, the number of people recruited over whom we
would raise significant questions is certainly in the hundreds, if not low
thousands… it’s not in the tens, it’s at least in the hundreds.”
According to the research, there were “several warning indicators”
indicating the system was not working properly over the last decade.
When asked if Couzens would have been able to join the Met if prior
recommendations to address long-standing flaws with screening procedures
had been implemented, Mr Parr answered, “The shoddier your vetting system
is, the more likely it is that someone like Couzens will join you.”
I can’t say he would have never joined or been permitted to transfer. What
I can say is that the higher your standards are, and if any of the
recommendations we made were implemented, the likelihood of something like
that happening is clearly reduced.”
Mr Parr accused chief constables and police leaders of failing to recognise
“the damage to their reputation and the danger to the public caused by not
having a significantly more rigorous process for identifying who shouldn’t
join and who shouldn’t stay,” adding, “I think there has been a degree of
complacency about it, and I think the lessons of the last few years have
given ample warning of that.”
Mr Parr stated that the pressure to hire 20,000 new officers by March 2023
“cannot be allowed to act as an excuse” for poor vetting practises, later
adding, “There is no excuse for lowering your standards to the extent that
we’ve seen in this report, and by doing so, all you’re doing is storing up
problems for later.”
The substantial reduction in public faith in policing is clearly tied to
the incidence of some of the heinous incidents we’ve seen in recent years,
and if you want to reduce those types of instances, you should have a
better standard of who gets in and who stays in.”
The watchdog investigated 11,277 police officers and staff, reviewed 725
vetting files, reviewed 264 complaint and misconduct investigations, and
interviewed 42 people.
Inspectors discovered instances in which: – Criminal behaviour, such as
indecent exposure, was dismissed as a “one-off”; – Applicants with ties to
“extensive criminality” in their families were hired by forces; – A chief
constable argued that hiring an officer transferring from another area
would make the force “more diverse,” despite a string of allegations
spanning several years that could have amounted to sexual assault if
proven; – Warnings that a prospective officer may
may be employed in the police forces of England and Wales.
If measures to improve screening checks had been put in place earlier, the
chances of someone like Sarah Everard’s murderer Wayne Couzens receiving a
career as a police officer would have been “obviously decreased,” according
to inspector of constabulary Matt Parr.
The HMICFRS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue
Services) investigated eight forces, scrutinising hundreds of police
vetting files for new recruits. It claimed that it had discovered too many
examples in which persons, particularly those with criminal records or
connections to organised crime, should not have been permitted to join the
police force and that it was “too easy” for them to do so.
The inspection, commissioned by then-home secretary Priti Patel in the
aftermath of Ms Everard’s murder in October last year, concluded that a
culture of misogyny, sexism, and predatory behaviour toward female police
officers, staff, and members of the public still exists and is “prevalent”
in many forces.
This culture, according to Mr Parr, was prominent in “all the forces we
inspected,” which he described as a “depressing finding.”
In addition to the forces associated with Couzens – The Metropolitan
Police, Kent Police, and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary – the inspection
looked into procedures in Cumbria, South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Dorset,
and Devon and Cornwall.
“It is far too easy for the wrong people to join and stay in the police,”
Mr Parr added. If the police are to regain public trust and protect their
own female officers and personnel, vetting must become considerably more
stringent, and sexual misconduct must be taken much more seriously.”
Although he was unable to estimate the total number of such officers still
serving, he told reporters, “It seems reasonable for me to say that over
the last three or four years, the number of people recruited over whom we
would raise significant questions is certainly in the hundreds, if not low
thousands… it’s not in the tens, it’s at least in the hundreds.”
According to the research, there were “several warning indicators”
indicating the system was not working properly over the last decade.
When asked if Couzens would have been able to join the Met if prior
recommendations to address long-standing flaws with screening procedures
had been implemented, Mr Parr answered, “The shoddier your vetting system
is, the more likely it is that someone like Couzens will join you.”
I can’t say he would have never joined or been permitted to transfer. What
I can say is that the higher your standards are, and if any of the
recommendations we made were implemented, the likelihood of something like
that happening is clearly reduced.”
Mr Parr accused chief constables and police leaders of failing to recognise
“the damage to their reputation and the danger to the public caused by not
having a significantly more rigorous process for identifying who shouldn’t
join and who shouldn’t stay,” adding, “I think there has been a degree of
complacency about it, and I think the lessons of the last few years have
given ample warning of that.”
Mr Parr stated that the pressure to hire 20,000 new officers by March 2023
“cannot be allowed to act as an excuse” for poor vetting practises, later
adding, “There is no excuse for lowering your standards to the extent that
we’ve seen in this report, and by doing so, all you’re doing is storing up
problems for later.”
The substantial reduction in public faith in policing is clearly tied to
the incidence of some of the heinous incidents we’ve seen in recent years,
and if you want to reduce those types of instances, you should have a
better standard of who gets in and who stays in.”
The watchdog investigated 11,277 police officers and staff, reviewed 725
vetting files, reviewed 264 complaint and misconduct investigations, and
interviewed 42 people.
Inspectors discovered instances in which: – Criminal behaviour, such as
indecent exposure, was dismissed as a “one-off”; – Applicants with ties to
“extensive criminality” in their families were hired by forces; – A chief
constable argued that hiring an officer transferring from another area
would make the force “more diverse,” despite a string of allegations
spanning several years that could have amounted to sexual assault if
proven; – Warnings that a prospective officer may
