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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:12 pm
Time: 12:12 pm
Results for police ethics (u.k.)
3 results foundAuthor: 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: Great Britain. Home Office Title: Improving police integrity: reforming the police complaints and disciplinary systems. Summary of consultation responses and next steps Summary: 1.1 The consultation document Improving Police Integrity: reforming the police complaints and disciplinary systems set out the Government's plans for reform of the police complaints and disciplinary systems, measures to strengthen protections for police whistleblowers, an extension to the remit of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), and changes to the role, powers and structure of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The consultation presented 42 questions across four policy areas and invited comments from national, local and regional organisations, police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), Police and Crime Panels, frontline practitioners, staff associations, trade unions and other groups or interested individuals. Method 1.2 The consultation took place over an eight week period from 11 December 2014. 1.3 The consultation document was made available on the Home Office website, https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-police-integrity-reforming-the-police-complaints-and-disciplinary-systems. A Welsh version was available on request, as were large print and audio versions. Responses to the consultation could also be completed anonymously online, submitted via email to policeintegrityconsultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or posted to the Home Office. 1.4 To support the consultation process, three events were held to canvass opinions from policing partners and frontline practitioners. Key themes from these discussions were noted and have been reflected in the summary of responses. A list of the events is set out in the table on page 6. 1.5 The Government received a total of 170 responses to the consultation (97 were submitted by post or email, and 73 were responses to the online survey). Details: London: Home Office, 2015. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Cm 9031: Accessed March 16, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411970/improving_police_integrity_reforming_the_police_complaints_and_disciplinary_systems.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411970/improving_police_integrity_reforming_the_police_complaints_and_disciplinary_systems.pdf Shelf Number: 134925 Keywords: Complaints Against PolicePolice DisciplinePolice Ethics (U.K.)Police PerformancePolice-Citizen Interactions |
Author: Porter, Louise Title: The role of leadership in promoting ethical police behaviour: The findings of qualitative case study research Summary: Key findings This study focuses on issues of leadership and organisational ethics. It is based on 41 in-depth interviews - three with chief officers and at least five with frontline officers in each of five case study forces from England and Wales. The aim of the research was to explore the impact that senior leadership was perceived to have on ethical police behaviour, particularly that of those officers and staff in frontline roles. Its key findings were as follows: - Overall, the large majority of interviewees felt there had been a positive shift in the style of police leadership in recent years. There was a general sense leaders had moved away from an autocratic style to a more inclusive and open approach. Most current leaders in the five study forces were seen as consultative and good communicators. - Interviewees found it difficult to disentangle the factors that constituted effective leadership in general from those that specifically promoted ethical behaviour. The belief that ethical behaviour was a "natural consequence" of effective leadership was common. - A range of opinions about leadership styles were evident in all study forces, though the importance of honesty, integrity, visibility, transparency, and consistent and clear messages were emphasised, and reportedly had a clear impact on morale. - Evidence suggested that leaders were seen as both figureheads and role models for conduct. Setting values and standards, and communicating and enforcing those standards fairly, were also key themes raised in all interviews. - With the exception of autocratic leadership (which was mainly used to describe former chief officers), most interviewees felt that different styles could promote ethical behaviour. - Demonstration of transformational and participative leadership styles was seen as important, particularly by senior leaders. Visibility and communication were seen as key dimensions of leadership that offered opportunities to encourage organisational commitment, as a result of it increasing the credibility of leaders among staff and a belief in shared values and goals. - Elements of transactional leadership were also thought important for staff behaviour and morale, particularly in terms of encouraging appropriate standards through the consistent and fair application of reward and sanction within the organisation. - For many, successful leadership in fostering ethical behaviour was seen to come through flexibility and balance in leadership style. The nature of policing - with its high levels of discretion and specific vulnerabilities towards misconduct (e.g. contact with criminals) - reportedly meant leadership needed to be both transformational and transactional. - Comments from the majority of chief officers and frontline staff supported the idea that a more open and democratic style of leadership secured a better commitment to organisational values and promoted ethical behaviour. - While leadership was seen as important at all levels, first line supervisors were thought to have more of an influence than chief officers as they were the day-to-day role models for behaviour for most people. The provision of support to, and the empowerment of, frontline supervisors was, therefore, seen as particularly crucial. - The research highlighted the need for senior leaders and supervisors to be more aware of, and self-reflective about, leadership styles and processes and the impact these can have on the ethical behaviour of staff. Notably, while performance expectations need to be set and aligned with wider force priority and integrity frameworks, there was a widespread view that a narrow performance focus could have negative consequences. Details: Ryton-on-Dunsmore, UK: College of Policing, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 2, 2015 at: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/150317_Ethical_leadership_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/150317_Ethical_leadership_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Shelf Number: 135134 Keywords: Police AdministratorsPolice BehaviorPolice Ethics (U.K.) |