New way to raise concerns about local police officers
ISLANDERS now have a new way to raise concerns about local officers, as the Guernsey Police joins the national Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service.
Provided by the independent charity Crimestoppers, it was set up for the Metropolitan Police in 2022 in the wake of a series of scandals for the London force, including the murder of Sarah Everard by an off-duty Metropolitan Police constable.
Almost 3,000 online reports and calls regarding the London force have been made since then, and the hotline has been rolled out across the British Isles this week.
Head of Bailiwick Law Enforcement Ruari Hardy said the force was working to improve its complaints process.
‘We are committed to learning as much as we can from those improvements,’ he said.
‘Subscribing to this new service is part of that commitment, as is supporting the review of the Police Complaints Law that the Committee for Home Affairs has just announced.’
It will bolster the force’s ability to act against officers who are not fit to serve, a commitment which he said was very important to him.
Guernsey has had few incidents in recent years of officers facing serious complaints and leading to criminal proceedings.
In 2015 an officer was sentenced to community service after he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud and illegally obtaining data.
An officer who pressured a vulnerable woman to withdraw a complaint of rape was jailed for two-and-a-half years last September after being found guilty of intending to pervert the course of justice.
Mr Hardy said BLE always took complaints very seriously and its professional standards team worked hard to investigate them.
‘I am confident the vast majority of our staff act professionally and in good faith in the course of their duties, but we must always be prepared to deal with those who fall below this standard,’ he said.
Reports about officers’ behaviour, whether on- or off-duty, online or in person, can be submitted online and phone calls are free.
People who contact the service can choose to remain anonymous, or leave their details if they are willing to be contacted directly about their complaint.
Information will go to a professional standards and counter-corruption team who will assess it and decide how to progress it, if necessary. There were 162 complaints against Guernsey Police last year, however some people made multiple complaints, meaning the number of people complaining may be lower than the number of complaints received.
n The service can be contacted by calling 0800 085 0000 or via Crimestoppers’ website, at bit.ly/3VqHWSS
