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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:59 am
Time: 12:59 am
Results for police corruption (u.k.)
3 results foundAuthor: Independent Police Complaints Commission Title: Corruption in the Police Service in England and Wales - Part I Summary: The Independent Police Complaints Commission has published the first part of its report regarding corruption in the police service. The report, which was requested by the Home Secretary earlier this summer, outlines the various aspects of behaviour by police officers and staff that can be considered as corrupt. It also has information about the number of referrals the IPCC receives and examples of some corruption cases the organisation has investigated. The report also contains a review of learning and recommendations made in individual corruption investigations. This identified some common themes such as supervision and leadership; misuse of computer systems and policies and procedures - the latter being particularly related to the claiming of expenses and use of corporate credit cards. IPCC Interim Chair Len Jackson, said: "This report sets out, in high level terms, what the IPCC's experience of investigating corruption within the police service of England and Wales has been so far. During its lifetime the Commission has received corruption related referrals from police forces that have resulted in a number of investigations; some of these have been particularly high profile and involved officers of the highest rank. "It is clear that allegations of corruption against any rank of officer, such as those we have seen in the last few months, severely damages the reputation and standing of all forces and officers. "Our second report, which will follow before the end of this year, will provide further analysis of referrals and identification of issues and lessons to be learned for the police service as a whole. It will also comment on the public's views of police corruption and its impact on wider confidence in policing, as well as exploring what further powers and resources would be required if the IPCC were to take a greater role in the investigation of corruption issues in the future.” Police forces and police authorities are required by law to refer complaints or conduct matters to the IPCC if the allegation includes serious corruption. This includes any attempt to pervert the course of justice, passing on confidential information in return for payment or other benefits, and the supply of seized controlled drugs, firearms or other material. In 2009, the Commission took the decision that it would increase its oversight of corruption matters and would develop its capacity to provide greater oversight of such cases. As a result during the last two to three years the Commission has managed, rather than supervised, the investigation of more cases and conducted independent investigations in a small number of high profile cases. Of the approximate 2,400 referrals received by the IPCC in 2010/11 that cover all types of allegations, more than 200 were classified as serious corruption. A similar number of corruption referrals were also received in both 2009/10 and 2008/9. The report was ordered by the Home Secretary, under powers set out in the Police Reform Act 2002, in a statement to the House of Commons in July 2011. The statement followed allegations concerning corrupt relationships between the police and the media generated by the News of the world phone hacking story. Details: London: IPCC Independent Police Complaints Commission, 2011. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 31, 2012 at http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/Corruption_in_the_Police_Service_in_England_Wales.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/Corruption_in_the_Police_Service_in_England_Wales.pdf Shelf Number: 122968 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice Corruption (U.K.)Police Use of Force |
Author: Independent Police Complaints Commission Title: The Abuse of Police Powers to Perpetuate Sexual Violence Summary: In January 2011 former Northumbria police constable Stephen Mitchell was jailed for life for a number of serious sex attacks against women he met through his job. The abuse of police powers for purposes of sexual exploitation, or even violence, is something that fundamentally betrays the trust that communities and individuals place in the police. It therefore has a serious impact on the public’s confidence in individual officers and the service in general. It is essential to ensure that systems are in place to prevent, monitor and deal swiftly with any individual who exploits that trust. For that reason, and in the light of the Mitchell conviction, the IPCC and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) separately began examining this type of case. This joint report draws from both pieces of work. Both organisations recognised the value of sharing findings and identifying common themes, to increase public confidence that there is a commitment to tackle this kind of abuse and to assist the police service as whole and individual forces to identify and prevent it. It is not possible to know precisely how many people have been victims of police officers or staff abusing their powers. There is no evidence to suggest it is commonplace, but nor can we be confident that all such cases are reported. Each of the cases in this report represents a serious betrayal of the trust and confidence that individuals should have in the police. Together, they reveal a number of themes that underlie this kind of behaviour. They include the need to ensure robust standards of vetting, including for sensitive or vulnerable posts; provide effective supervision to identify worrying trends, ensure proper boundaries and respond to reported concerns; effectively use and manage intelligence; and review individual cases in order to identify lessons. The report includes a checklist of questions for the service as a whole and for individual forces. The behaviour described in this report has parallels with abuses carried out by other professionals, such as those in healthcare and social work and the clergy. All are people who are in a privileged position of power – and trust – within society. In the context of the police service, however, this behaviour is also a form of corruption and it should be dealt with as such. The police service has a responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent such abuse, identify as soon as possible if it occurs, deal with it effectively and learn lessons quickly. The report urges senior leaders in the police service to be alert and determined to root out this kind of abuse of power. All cases of serious corruption cases should be referred to the IPCC. That includes all cases involving sexual exploitation by officers or police staff, which the IPCC will prioritise and investigate independently wherever possible. Work in this area has been greatly assisted by a leading academic and two voluntary sector organisations who have specialist knowledge in this area: Professor Liz Kelly of London Metropolitan University, Davina James- Hanman of Against Violence and Abuse and Dianne Whitfield of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre and Rape Crisis (England & Wales). Their insight and practical suggestions have been invaluable in the development of our thinking. There is no doubt that the specialist knowledge and services offered by these and many other national and local voluntary sector organisations could be used by the police service to assist with cases involving sexual exploitation by police officers and staff – for example, in supporting victims and encouraging reporting. This report therefore recommends that police forces establish or improve relationships with organisations that have specialist knowledge of sexual exploitation and abuse. This report is a first step in understanding the scale and nature of the problem and setting out the way forward. More work and resources are needed to build on this foundation, learning from experience and the recommendations and insights in this report. Both ACPO and the IPCC are committed to doing so. Details: London: Independent Police Complaints Commission, 2012. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed 14, 2012 at http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/investigation_commissioner_reports/abuse_of_police_powers_to_perpetrate_sexual_violence.PDF Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/investigation_commissioner_reports/abuse_of_police_powers_to_perpetrate_sexual_violence.PDF Shelf Number: 126704 Keywords: Complaints Against the Police (U.K.)Police Corruption (U.K.)Police Ethics (U.K.)Police Misconduct (U.K.)Sexual Exploitation (U.K.)Sexual Violence (U.K.) |
Author: Newburn, Tim Title: Literature review - Police integrity and corruption Summary: There is a sizeable body of literature that attempts to wrestle with the thorny issue of how 'corruption' might be defined. There is little need to review it all here, though the matter cannot be ignored entirely. What follows is a brief outline of why the issue of definition is of some concern, and an outline of the key terms used throughout this short review. In short, there have been two main ways of approaching the issue of corruption. One looks at the different forms of behaviour and attempts to distinguish those actions that might be considered corrupt. The second seeks to construct a definition that can be used to separate corrupt from non-corrupt acts. In truth neither is entirely satisfactory. The problem is that corruption is fundamentally an ethical issue. The simple but uncomfortable fact is that complex ethical problems are an inherent part of policing. The consequence is that complete clarity around conduct is impossible. However, recognising this, and being prepared to discuss openly the problems and the complexities necessarily involved in policing, is an important part of the process of developing coherent administrative policy responses to such issues. Details: London: HMIC, 2015. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2015 at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/pic-literature-review.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/pic-literature-review.pdf Shelf Number: 134552 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice Corruption (U.K.)Police EthicsPolice Misconduct |