Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report of His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service entitled an inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service, published on 2 November 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of that report's finding that people with criminal convictions have been accepted into the police force.

The framework for police vetting is set out by the College of Policing through its statutory vetting code of practice and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance. The guidance is reviewed on an ongoing basis and will consider the relevant recommendations from the inspectorate as part of that.

The code of practice recognises the importance of public confidence and states that applications to join the police should be rejected in all cases where the applicant has served a custodial sentence or is on the sex offenders register.

There is also a rebuttable presumption that a person will not be suitable for appointment if they have a previous conviction or caution for a criminal offence. Factors such as the nature and severity of the offence and age of the person when the offence was committed can be taken into account as each case must be considered on its own merits.

We expect Chief Officers to address all of its recommendations in full.