Government response to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report
The government has today published its response to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report.
The publication of the government response today marks the second anniversary of the Panel’s report being published.
The Panel was established by the government in 2013 to look into the circumstances surrounding Daniel Morgan’s murder in 1987 and the police handling of the case.
The Panel’s report shone a light on examples of corrupt behaviour throughout the investigations into Daniel’s murder which irreparably damaged the chances of a successful prosecution. Most of the recommendations were for policing, however there were several for the government to address.
In her written ministerial statement laid in Parliament today, the Home Secretary acknowledged the progress that has been made by policing, and the Metropolitan Police, in addressing the Panel’s recommendations, but made clear that more must be done to repair the damage to public trust caused by the handling of Daniel’s case.
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:
The Independent Panel’s report was sobering, and for Daniel Morgan’s family to know that corruption denied them the justice they deserve is simply not acceptable.
There have been serious failures of culture and leadership in the Metropolitan Police, and I have been clear that restoring trust and getting the basics right must be a priority for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
I am also driving forward work to ensure culture, standards and behaviour across policing is improved at all levels, including reviewing the dismissals process and strengthening vetting to root out those not fit to serve.
The government’s response covers 4 key themes – investigations, tackling corruption, working with inquiries and information management – to reflect the key themes raised in the Panel’s report for the government to consider.
It notes the progress being made by policing to address concerns with tackling corruption, and the importance of the work the government is doing to drive improvement in culture and standards across policing, including strengthening vetting and reviewing the dismissals process so chief constables can remove officers who are not fit to be in the police.
The government has also taken several steps in recent years to tackle police corruption, introducing a new corruption offence in 2017 that applies to police and National Crime Agency officers and carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence. Measures were also introduced following the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to prevent corrupt officers from resigning or retiring early to avoid being held accountable for misconduct.
The government is also currently considering other recommendations in the Panel’s report, such as a duty of candour, which will be responded to in full as part of the government’s response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families.
Alongside the government’s response, today the National Police Chiefs Council will be publishing its response to the Panel’s recommendations for national policing. This follows the Metropolitan Police publishing their response to the Panel’s report in March 2022.