Open and transparent scrutiny of our police professional standards

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex said:

“The recent shocking revelations about David Carrick and the Metropolitan Police Service’s failure to identify his horrific offending have brought into focus the vital importance of open and transparent scrutiny of our police professional standards.  We all rightly expect our officers to be there to protect us and police forces around the country need to work hard to maintain the trust of communities especially women and girls. “As the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, I scrutinise the force’s handling of complaints and professional standards and work hard to ensure the Chief Constable is rooting out anybody who is unfit to be in policing. I wholeheartedly support Essex Police’s robust approach to dealing with any officer who faces allegation of poor conduct, especially where this relates to offences of sexual assault, and welcome the external scrutiny offered by the Independent Office of Police Conduct. It is a positive sign that Essex Police welcome this external scrutiny, are open and transparent about allegations their officers face and ensure that where there is a case to answer this is pursued vigorously. “The vast majority of officers join the police to protect people, catch criminals and make our communities safer. I get to see officers who do amazing things to protect the vulnerable, often at significant personal cost."