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Avon & Somerset chief's concern officers not sacked for misconduct

BBC Avon & Somerset police force Chief Constable Sarah CrewBBC
Chief Constable Sarah Crew responded to criticism into a national report into police vetting failures

Avon & Somerset's chief constable admits she is "uncomfortable" some officers in her force are not sacked after misconduct hearings, but moved where "threat and risk is mitigated."

Chief Constable Sarah Crew was responding to questions after a damning report into eight police forces' vetting failures.

She said her force has boosted vetting and counter corruption checks.

But admitted there was more work to do, including around the appeals process.

Police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford
Police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford is tasked with holding the chief constable to account

Her comments follow the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) report, which was ordered after Sarah Everard's kidnap, rape and murder in March 2021 by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.

The report found hundreds of police officers who should have failed vetting checks, may be in the job in England and Wales.

The inspectors also found examples of police officers transferring between forces despite complaints or misconduct allegations.

At a quarterly performance and accountability board meeting, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Mark Shelford asked Ms Crew: "What reassurance can you give me that no serving officer or member of the wider police family poses a security risk to the public in the constabulary area?"

Ms Crew replied that there had been investment in professional standards, vetting and counter corruption teams since she took over a year ago.

Quarterly meeting held by the police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford
The comments came at a performance meeting held on the 2 November

"Our initial vetting is strong and we are in a good place with our re-vetting, when officers and staff need to be vetted again later in their career," the chief constable said.

But she admitted she was "uncomfortable" when an officer taken to a misconduct panel, is not dismissed, and then comes back into the force to be placed "somewhere where actually we aren't comfortable with that person being, and we have to look at roles where threat and risk is mitigated."

Ms Crew said she would ensure the force was doing or would do everything recommended in the national report and "over and above that if there is anything else we need to do to improve that situation".

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