Changes to the police disciplinary system
Download the full outcome
Detail of outcome
From 18 November 2014 to 2 January 2015, we consulted on holding disciplinary and appeal hearings in public, introducing legally qualified chairs in disciplinary hearings, protecting whistleblowers and changes to chief officer compensation payments.
The changes to legislation to be laid on 12 March will:
- increase transparency by ensuring police disciplinary hearings are held in public from 1 May 2015
- make hearings fairer by ensuring the chair is legally-qualified from 1 January 2016
- protect police whistleblowers from unfair disciplinary action
- allow compensation to be withheld from chief officers in specific circumstances
This document sets out the government’s response to the issues raised during the consultation.
Original consultation
Consultation description
This consultation seeks views on proposals for changes to the police disciplinary system, and strengthening protections for police whistleblowers.
The government wants to ensure that the systems and processes that deal with misconduct by police officers are robust, independent and transparent to the public, and that whistleblowers in the police are able to come forward with complete confidence.
The consultation proposes:
- a power for disciplinary hearing panels to remove or adjust the compensation payments due to chief officers on termination of their appointment, where a disciplinary finding is made against them
- the introduction of legally qualified chairmen/women to conduct police disciplinary hearings
- changes to regulations to clarify that whistleblowers should not be subject to disciplinary action for taking the necessary steps to report a concern and that reprisals against whistleblowers should be treated as a conduct matter
- holding police disciplinary hearings and appeals in public
This consultation focuses on reforms that can be made in the short-term through changes to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012. A second consultation later this year will set out longer terms reforms to the police disciplinary system, police whistleblowing and the police complaints system.
Alongside the consultation document, an assessment of the economic and financial impacts of the proposed changes are included for your information and reference.
How to respond
The deadline for responses is Friday 2 January 2015.
Please send your comments to policeregsconsultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Or send it by post to:
Police disciplinary regulations consultation
Police Integrity and Powers Unit
6th floor NW, Fry building
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Documents
Last updated 12 March 2015 + show all updates
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Reports on the consultation response added
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First published.