Policing standards inquiry launched by Home Affairs Committee

IFSEC Insider

Back in December last year, Home Secretary Theresa May announced plans to establish a dedicated body that would further professionalise policing. As reported on Info4Security, that body will be known as the College of Policing.

It’s intended that the College of Policing will create opportunities to open up the leadership of the police service, harness greater diversity and experience at senior levels and equip the service with new skills.

For its part, the Home Affairs Committee inquiry will look at the current situation across the police service and investigate how the leadership of police forces must adapt in the new landscape of policing to improve standards, eliminate corruption and deliver a more diverse and effective service. There’s also going to be a focus on how new institutions should contribute to that aim.

The Home Affairs Committee is now inviting responses addressing some or all of the following terms of reference and other relevant matters:

• What powers, responsibilities and resources should be given to the College of Policing?
• What lessons can be learned from other professional bodies within the UK and from police professional bodies in other countries?
• Is it possible for one institution to balance responsibilities for representing police services, setting and upholding standards, testing and rewarding, training and guarding public interests?
• Would it be preferable to create two separate institutions to provide delivery functions and professional representation?
• How will the professional body interact with the HMIC; the IPCC; ACPO and other institutions in providing leadership and setting standards for police forces?
• What role should the College of Policing have in recruitment and training?
• What role could the College have in recruiting non-police officers to senior roles within the police service?
• Are police recruitment processes fair and open, and how could they be improved?
• Is the Metropolitan Police Service over-represented in senior positions?
• Are there specific challenges facing the leaders of the Metropolitan Police Service which the College of Policing should address?
• Should the professional body be responsible for civilian police employees?
• How should the College of Policing be funded?

Comment from the Home Affairs Commitee chairman

Speaking about the new inquiry, Keith Vaz – chairman of the Home Affairs Committee – commented: “As the landscape of policing is being redrawn we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to open up our police service so that it really represents the communities it serves, and to build on the brilliant professionalism our forces already display.”

Vaz continued: “The Home Affairs Committee is launching this inquiry so that we can make sure everyone – the public and the police – has a real say in whether a College of Policing is the right body to bring our police forces up to date and up to scratch. We will be looking at the current make-up of leadership in the police service, and in particular at the practices within the Metropolitan Police Service which produce the vast number of chief constables.”

In conclusion, Vaz stated: “We’ll be asking what tools the College will need to train up our future policing leaders and what teeth it needs to ensure that the standards we expect are met.”

Written evidence is now invited from interested parties. The deadline for the submission of written evidence is Friday 5 October 2012

For further information on how to have your say access the Home Affairs Committee section of the Parliament website

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