Police forces should have a principle of zero tolerance of corruption. So says the anti-corruption campaign group Transparency International UK (TI-UK) after it was commissioned to do an external review of a report written by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) itself, entitled โManaging Police Integrity: ACPO Approach 2011โ. ACPO asked TI-UK to review this report, make recommendations for amendments, and identify areas for improvement.
TI-UK adds that it has published a series of guides to good practice in this area, for example โThe 2010 UK Bribery Act โ Guidance on Good Practice procedures.โ TI-UK works with organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors.
TI-UK had previously done a research project on UK corruption, the most comprehensive research ever the group claims in this area. โCorruption in the UKโ published in 2011, reviewed 12 pillars of โnational integrityโ including law enforcement. The research found little evidence of systemic corruption in the UK police, but significant, and growing, opportunity for corruption of and by officers and support staff. โCorruption in the UKโ highlighted the need for well-designed and adequately-resourced integrity programmes reinforced by ethical leadership. In TI-UKโs view, engaging with organisations such as ACPO presents an opportunity to create change from within, and to do so by highlighting good practice from TIโs experiences both within the UK and globally.
TI-UK took on the assignment from ACPO in November 2011 and submitted its report entitled โBenchmarking Police Integrity Programmesโ in May 2012.
Since the completion of โBenchmarking Police Integrityโ, the Leveson report has been published – covered in the January print issue of Professional Security – and Police and Crime Commissioners have been elected in England and Wales.
The โBenchmarking Police Integrityโ report sets out TI-UKโs views on what constitutes good organisational integrity practice and how this could be applied to the police. The paper then comments on how the ACPO review, โManaging Police Integrityโ, compared with TI-UKโs view on good practice. It identifies recommendations for improvement in policy integrity programmes.
The core finding identified in TI-UKโs report: there is considerable variability in the quality of integrity systems and governance in police forces in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. ACPO thus needs to ensure that:
โข common standards, that are robust, clear and consistent, are embedded across forces;
โข those standards should be characterised by clarity and consistency.
TI-UK made eight other recommendations:
โข Model integrity code: ACPO should build on its work in developing a model police integrity code supported by tools and resources to be applied in a consistent manner across forces;
โข Clarity and consistency: All those who manage integrity programmes or are governed by them should be able to easily understand their roles, obligations, procedures and rights, and the integrity programmes should also be clear to the public and other stakeholders;
โข Positive integrity management: ACPO should assist forces to move from a reactive approach to a stance of active promotion of integrity, based on the principle of zero tolerance of corruption;
โข Common systems: Forces should implement common robust systems supported by guidance and tools to ensure that risks are identified, monitored, and managed;
โข Governance: ACPO must consider how necessary independent oversight can be brought into and embedded within the governance process;
โข Disciplinary measures: Further consideration should be given to disciplinary measures in the context of The Police (Conduct) Arrangements of 2008 – a good practice integrity programme should be founded on a zero tolerance approach to integrity violations. Any relaxation of disciplinary measures could undermine an effective integrity programme;
โข Public reporting: ACPO should take the lead in developing a common nation-wide standard for public reporting by Forces;
โข Comprehensive and continuous approach to risk assessment: The risk assessment process should be reviewed and strengthened to ensure that the process is robust, comprehensive and up-to-date in capturing emerging or changing risks such as those related to outsourcing, procurement, secondary employment and post-service employment.
TI-UK urges ACPO and police forces to accept its recommendations in full. ACPO lead on professional standards Chief Constable Michael Cunningham, who commissioned the review, said: โPublic trust and confidence in the police are absolutely central to Britainโs model of policing by consent and as a service we welcome scrutiny and are committed to transparency. When mistakes are made or police officers fail against the high standards we demand of them, we understand the damage that can be done to public trust in policing.
โIt is vital we robustly investigate and respond to any such issues in order to help restore public confidence. This report underpins the importance of accountability and consistency in our approach and highlights the steps already taken by the service to embed good integrity practices.
โAs the report indicates, the service needs to become more proactive in its approach. The fundamental role of the police remains one of public service and to discharge that role effectively the police should be perceived as a bulwark for integrity in society.โ
