Police must speed up anti-corruption measures, say inspectors

19 Dec 12
Police need to take urgent action to ensure integrity and honesty throughout the force, the Inspectorate of Constabulary said today

By Vivienne Russell | 19 December 2012

Police need to take urgent action to ensure integrity and honesty throughout the force, the Inspectorate of Constabulary said today.

In Revisiting police relationships, published today, the watchdog urged speedier measures on a range of fronts to rule out the possibility of inappropriate or corrupt relationships with, for example, suppliers or media.

The report follows up recommendations made in the inspectorate’s Without fear or favour report, published last December. While this found no evidence of endemic corruption in the police, it raised concerns that few forces had thought seriously about integrity issues or developed any policies or procedures to help guide officers when dealing with the press or accepting gifts and hospitality.

Progress against Without fear or favour’s recommendations had been ‘patchy’, the watchdog said. It called for the creation of more open and challenging environments within forces to allow chief officers’ actions to be properly scrutinised.

Inspector of constabulary Roger Baker said: ‘Integrity is fundamental to the core values of the police and what it means to be a police officer. As such it must be at the heart of every action carried out and word spoken by police officers and staff.’

He added that the watchdog would continue to monitor and inspect the service’s progress to maintain public confidence levels.

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