The behaviour, standards and integrity of Leicestershire Police is to be put under the microscope by members of the public in a ground-breaking initiative.
The new Ethics, Integrity and Complaints Committee will meet for the first time this Friday (25 September 2015) with the power to examine, and advise the Chief Constable about, the conduct of the Police.
The five committee members, who live or work in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, will meet regularly to scrutinise a range of different aspects of behaviour and policing services including:
- Expenses claimed by officers and staff of the Force and the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner
- Stop and search data
- Promotion processes
- Gifts and hospitality received
- Whistle-blowing processes
- Overall behaviour and conduct issues
From performance to complaints from the public, from the Force’s decision-making processes to leadership and culture, the committee will scrutinise a broad landscape to ensure the Force, and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, conducts itself to the highest ethical standards and does so with transparency.
The decision to set up the Ethics Committee was taken by the area’s Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Clive Loader earlier this year. Following a recruitment process, five members of the public have been appointed to form the committee, namely:
- Dr Steven Cammiss, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Leicester
- Ms Lois Dugmore, Nurse consultant, dual diagnosis, Care quality commission specialist advisor
- Dr Mark Peel, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Work and Research and Consultancy, University of Leicester
- Ms Lynne Richards, Head of Fundraising at the National Forest Company
- Professor Cillian Ryan, economist and Pro Vice-Chancellor & Dean of the Faculty of Business & Law De Montfort University
The committee will meet for the first time this Friday at Police Headquarters, Enderby, at 2pm. Also in attendance at the committee’s meetings will be the Deputy Chief Constable and other Force personnel, together with the Chief Executive of the OPCC and his colleagues.
As well as electing a chairman and deputy chairman, members of the committee will spend their inaugural meeting examining the Force’s policy regarding vehicles which are loaned to the force by local businesses, and the efficacy of a communications directorate being shared between the PCC and the Chief Constable.
Sir Clive said: “The inception of Police & Crime Commissioners in late 2012 heralded a new era for policing in England and Wales. Through them, efficiency and effectiveness is monitored and the police held to account on behalf of the communities who they are charged to serve and keep safe.
“But public support is far from solely dependent upon how well the police control crime (important though that most certainly is) – the very way in which they carry out their complex and often demanding duties is crucial to public confidence. In particular, police are expected to display the very highest standards of professionalism, fairness, and integrity at all times and we know that, when such standards are not met, public support and confidence is invariably adversely affected.
“It is against this backdrop that we have set up the new Ethics Committee. Through this body, the Leicestershire Police Force will be subjected to even greater public – and, crucially, independent – scrutiny.
Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “We know that public confidence is very high, with over 85% of people surveyed confident that we do a good job. The transparency that this Committee will provide will, I hope, enhance that confidence even further.
“The Committee will have the authority to examine and advise on the Leicestershire Police Force’s conduct; this will, for example, include scrutiny of how complaints against officers and staff are dealt with by the Force’s internal Professional Standards Department.
“The Committee will also have the authority to discuss complex policing issues from an ethical perspective and, where necessary and appropriate, provide guidance to our senior leadership teams. We will listen.
“Above all, this initiative makes an explicit and highly public commitment to transparent, ethical policing in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland which will enhance, even further, the Force’s reputation and effectiveness in the years to come.”
Posted on Monday 9th May 2016