New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed that about 160 police officers every year are sacked following misconduct hearings which are held in private.
The information shows that in the last three years 477 officers have been dismissed in private hearings due to conduct which has ranged from perverting the course of justice to criminal activity and breaches of discipline. During the same period of time some 52 officers have been demoted and hundreds others have been fined or reprimanded.
The FOI figures show a wide variation in conduct and range from an officer in Kent given a written warning for telling a racist joke while two officers from Northern Ireland were dismissed for being drunk while armed.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is able to order hearing to be held in public but has only done so once since it became operational in 2004. Its chairman, Len Jackson, said that he was concerned at the lack of transparency, adding: “This is a genuine issue that does tax the commission. It’s not easy but we are conscious that it is something we should be looking at all the time.”
The FOI figures are released at the same time as Grahame Maxwell, the chief constable of the North Yorkshire force, becomes the first in 30 years to face a disciplinary tribunal for gross misconduct. He will answer the allegations today at a private hearing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/09/police-closed-hearings-officers-misconduct