An analysis of three years of police watchdog reports has revealed that half of police employees found to have committed gross misconduct were not dismissed. Out of 118 cases where the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found a case to answer and force disciplinary panels upheld the gross misconduct charge, only 55 led to the sack.
The IOPC's Director of Strategy and Impact, Kathie Cashell, expressed concern about the consistency of sanctions imposed by police forces. She said: 'While we respect the remit of disciplinary panels, we do not necessarily always agree with their conclusions.' Ms Cashell has asked the Home Office to review whether decision-making across forces is 'suitably consistent' and transparent to the public.
Civil rights campaigner Janet Alder, whose brother Christopher died in police custody in 1998, said the findings show the complaints system is failing. She noted that no officer has been punished in her brother's case, with four of five officers retiring before misconduct hearings could take place. The IOPC said it had not received 'compelling' new evidence to reopen the case.
Kristina O'Connor, who was sent inappropriate messages by a detective after reporting a robbery, criticised the system after the officer was found guilty of gross misconduct but not dismissed. She said: 'I question what it takes for an officer to be dismissed. It makes a mockery of the misconduct process.'
Overall, of 418 cases where the IOPC found a case to answer, force panels agreed misconduct had occurred in 148 cases and gross misconduct in 118. Of those with proven gross misconduct, 55 were sacked, 40 received written warnings, and the rest retired or resigned before hearings.
