Witnesses:
Lisa
Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – OPCC
Key points
raised in the discussion:
- A Panel Member noted
that statistically there was over one case per officer and some
officers would have several cases against them. The PCC explained
that there was a low threshold to record a complaint against an
officer, which meant that the case numbers were higher. It was
better to have a lower threshold for making a
complaint.
- A Panel Member
questioned whether there were a large number of complaints reported
by a small number of the population. The PCC explained that the
OPCC did not have access to that information, however, the
Professional Standards Department (PSD) had been doing work on
repeat complainants who took up a disproportionate amount of time.
The Chief Executive added that the PCC had regular meetings with
the PSD and could probe any outliers and look at general
trends.
- A Panel Member asked
about the support provided to those who reported inappropriate
behaviour of their colleagues. The PCC agreed that this was an
important issue which had been raised with the Chief Constable.
There had been a lot of work around VAWG, domestic abuse and
misogyny within the Force. It was crucial to stop these behaviours
before they turned into a conduct issue. The PCC explained that
there has been a cultural campaign around ‘call it
out’, whereby colleagues were encouraged to call out
behaviour, and if they did not feel comfortable, there was a system
to anonymously raise an issue. There was a real effort in policing
to break the cycle seen by a small number of officers in the
country. The OPCC and the Force had discussed introducing external
oversight in this area.
- A Panel Member asked
about whether staff surveys on culture could be introduced. The PCC
explained that surveys were done frequently by the Force, however,
not all employees would feel comfortable answering a survey issued
by the same organisation. The Panel Member queried whether there
was a significant difference in the distribution for complaints
upheld and asked about the time taken to investigate complaints.
The PCC explained that she met with the Police Federation and
UNISON to discuss those issues. There had been recent issues with
delays which had been addressed. Some complaints had been escalated
when they arguably should not have been, but it was also important
to be robust when investigating complaints. The PCC did not have
the figures to hand regarding the distribution and suggested that
this could be raised at the informal meeting with the Chief
Constable.
- A Panel Member
queried the timing of retirement for those facing a misconduct
case. The PCC responded that the organisation could not stop
someone from leaving. Where it was a serious and criminal
allegation, this would be pursued. It was also possible to write to
the Home Office regarding forfeiture of some of an officer’s
pension, in some circumstances.
- A Panel Member
expressed concern over a lack of justice on these occasions and
asked about the types of misconduct. The PCC explained the numbers
of people who had faced misconduct hearings were small and she
would not share any more information with the Panel about the type
of misconduct.
RESOLVED:
The
Panel noted the report.