Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of perceived reputational damage on the likelihood that a police force will take steps to investigation allegations of criminality against members of its force; and if she will take steps to ensure that perceived reputational damage does not serve as a barrier to tackling (a) such allegations and (b) other matters relating to public safety and wider public interest.

All police forces have specialist departments focused on investigating serious wrong-doing – including criminality – by members of their force. There is a comprehensive legislative framework governing these processes, including a statutory requirement for the most serious allegations to be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

The Government is committed to ensuring transparency in how such matters are handled by police forces and so collects and publishes data on police misconduct and criminal investigations in the ‘Police misconduct, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin

On 31 August, the Government announced a series of reforms to strengthen the police disciplinary system, including giving Chief Constables greater responsibilities to decide who is fit to serve in their force.