Chief Constable Stephen Watson has welcomed a change in the law which hands back the power for top cops to sack rogue officers in misconduct proceedings.
The Home Office reforms, which came into force yesterday (Tuesday), will allow chief constables to lead the proceedings that decide whether officers and staff found guilty of misconduct should be removed from their forces. For the last decade, independent chairs have decided gross misconduct hearings but the new measures restore this responsibility to chief constables.
It is part of a drive to restore public confidence in policing nationally, which has been rocked by a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens and the unmasking of former Met constable David Carrick as a serial abuser and rapist.
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Chief Constable Watson said: "We welcome this change in legislation which will allow us the increased capacity to root out and boot out more officers unfit to serve the public more quickly. In Greater Manchester over the last two years, we have already tripled the rate in which we’ve been dismissing officers who should not be in our uniform.
"We are using all available powers to ensure the public can have trust in their police force, including us increasingly looking to appeal for police pensions to be forfeited where applicable. The vast, vast majority of GMP’s officers are dedicated and compassionate professionals who are committed to making sure we are providing the best possible service for the people of GM."
Chief constables will be able to delegate their role as chair of the panel to a senior officer, or staff member of equivalent grade to 'to ensure best possible use of public and policing resources', according to the Home Office.
The change means CC Watson will be eligible to chair gross misconduct hearings. He already chairs so-called 'accelerated misconduct' hearings, which usually take place when an officer's guilt has been proven by a conviction in the criminal courts.
In February, the government set out changes to the police disciplinary system which will mean that any officer charged with an indictable offence will be automatically suspended from duty until an outcome is reached. This was alongside legislation that will make it easier to sack officers who fail to hold basic vetting when re-checked, as well as anyone found guilty of gross misconduct.
New 'continuous integrity' screenings, which the government has committed to funding, will also enable GMP to receive automated intelligence alerts on officers throughout their career and ensure information of concern is consistently identified and quickly dealt with in the future.
The new arrangements will see the Police and Crime Commissioner of Greater Manchester, a role delegated by GM Mayor Andy Burnham to Kate Green, have 'greater responsibility for scrutinising the decisions made', according to the Home Office. They will be expected to ' (hold) those making dismissals decisions to account'. The PCC will seek 'justification' for some decisions, for instance where a hearing has been held in private.
The Greater Manchester PCC will appoint two independent members to form the rest of the panel, who will sit alongside the chief constable, supported by an independent legal advisor.
Policing Minister Chris Philp said: "The public need confidence that the officers who serve their community in Greater Manchester are dedicated to keeping them safe. The majority of officers in Greater Manchester Police are hardworking, dedicated individuals who put themselves at risk every day to keep the public safe.
"These changes will ensure that the local chief constable is given greater responsibility to boot out the small minority of officers who threaten the integrity of their force.”
