Dorset Police has today welcomed a national report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) into vetting, misconduct and misogyny in the police service.
Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: “We welcome today’s report and note all of the recommendations made by HMICFRS. Dorset Police will continue to prioritise standards in our vetting and misconduct arrangements to ensure the public continue to have confidence in our procedures and those suitable for a role in policing.
“I am confident the Force has the capability to identify and remove those who are not suitable to be officers or staff in our organisation whilst dealing robustly with those subject to criminal and misconduct offences.
“The public should quite rightly have confidence the Force will work proactively to identify unprofessional and unethical behaviour, and when standards fall below expectations, swift action will be taken.
“The force continues to focus on giving officers and staff the confidence to call out and report any abusive, inappropriate, misogynistic, or discriminatory behaviour.
“I would like to reassure our communities that none of those officers and staff identified within the national report were found to be in Dorset and our vetting of all officers, staff, volunteers and contractors are up to date.
“Our processes around recruitment into the force include thorough pre-employment and vetting checks and are subject to further review when officers or staff move to new roles within or at vetting status renewal. This demonstrates the focus and determination of the force to ensure all staff working in policing are fit to do so as we continue to keep people safe and put victims first.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset David Sidwick said “I welcome the findings of this report. I acknowledge that Dorset Police have more work to do, but I am pleased to see that the report confirms that there are effective processes in place when it comes to significantly important areas such as vetting, as I know that this aspect of policing is incredibly important to the public.
“Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a key theme within my Police and Crime Plan. Following the launch of the Government’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy last year, and also in light of the dreadful and tragic death of Sarah Everard, I formally challenged the Chief Constable to provide reassurance of the Force’s approach in a number of key areas – which included vetting procedures, anti-corruption capabilities and the robustness of the Force response to allegations.
“The Force provided a detailed response to provide the reassurance that best practice was being followed and that such matters were being treated as an absolute priority.
“Our residents and communities should have confidence in their police service and the scrutiny provided not only by the HMICFRS, but Commissioners across the country is vital if public trust and confidence is to develop and grow.
“My Office will be working closely with Dorset Police leadership to ensure efforts to address the areas for improvement highlighted are done so swiftly, and that the high standards that the Force have placed upon them are not only met, but continuously improve.”
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