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The Home Secretary has announced a number of changes to police accountability standards that are designed to instill greater confidence in both the public and officers.
Yvette Cooper’s reforms come just days after firearms officer Martyn Blake was acquitted of the murder of Chris Kaba, a man shot by Blake during a vehicle stop in Streatham, London, in September 2022.
In a policy paper outlining the changes, the Home Office said ‘the public need to have confidence that there is an appropriate system to hold officers to account’ and ‘police officers need to have the confidence to be able to use their powers to keep the public safe’.
Among the reforms announced is proposed legislation that will provide anonymity to firearms officers who are subject to criminal trials, up until the point of conviction. The government says this is to reduce the risk of firearms officers and their families becoming targets for criminality following an armed incident.
Other announced changes will look to improve the timeliness and appropriateness of investigations, particularly the speed with which the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) sends cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Under the new plans, the IOPC will be able to refer cases to the CPS before their final investigation report is ready, providing there is sufficient evidence.
The Home Secretary has also asked the College of Policing to create a ‘lessons learned database’, which will contain details of people injured or killed following police action. The idea is that information contained in said database can be used to prevent future deaths or injuries.
Legislation will also be introduced to improve and standardise police vetting procedures. This will ensure those who are not fit to be police officers are removed or not allowed to join forces in the first place, further boosting public confidence.
Welcome reforms
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), the Police Federation of England & Wales (PFEW) and the College of Policing all welcomed the Home Secretary’s announcement.
Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, NPCC lead for Armed Policing, said, “We are supportive of the Home Secretary’s announcement and welcome their commitment to getting it right for officers and the public they serve and improving overall policing standards for communities.
“The ongoing work on the Accountability Review now has momentum to continue and is a real opportunity to get the balance right in the interests of the public we are here to protect.”
APCC Chair Emily Spurrell said, “We welcome today’s announcement by the Home Secretary. In her statement to MPs, she acknowledged how challenging it is being a firearms officer. They are deployed to the most dangerous of incidents and must make split-second, often life and death, decisions to keep the public safe. The Home Secretary also recognised the backdrop of long-standing concerns in some communities regarding police accountability standards.”
Acting Deputy National Chair at PFEW, Brian Booth, said, “We have been drawing to the Government’s attention that police officers up and down the country, who put their lives at stake in the line of duty to protect their communities, are feeling more and more vulnerable in doing their work because of weak and disproportionate accountability arrangements in law.
“The police are the public and the public are the police, hence, officers must have the confidence that they have the backing of people and the law when they use their specialised training and powers to ensure the safety of the communities they serve.”
And Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, College of Policing CEO, said, “Today’s announcement by the Home Secretary gives us the ability to improve the way policing operates so that if a member of the public is injured or killed following police action there is a national database of lessons learned which can be incorporated into future training and guidance.”
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