Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend, has issued the following statement after His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services released a report on their inspection of the effectiveness of integrity arrangements in Surrey Police.
Inspectors found that, while the force has robust counter-corruption plans, it needs to improve its vetting decision rationales and organisational learning processes.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend, said:
“Ensuring our officers and staff are properly vetted and uphold the highest standards of professional behaviour are crucial for building and maintaining trust with our communities.
“It is clear from the report issued by HMICFRS today that Surrey Police have been falling short in achieving this and urgent improvements are needed to address the situation.
“The report states that at the time the inspection was carried out last autumn, the joint unit that deals with vetting for Surrey and Sussex Police did not have enough staff to meet the demand it faces.
“This has led to long waits for new joiners and delays in ensuring those already employed are vetted to the appropriate level.
“Whilst policing is currently under significant financial strain and difficult resourcing choices do have to be made, we simply cannot afford to get this wrong. Some progress has been made since the inspection but the Force needs to go much further in ensuring the Vetting Unit is properly staffed and working effectively.
“The report also outlined how improvements are needed to its processes for collecting, sharing and evaluating organisational learning and this must be prioritised too.
“I have spoken to the Chief Officer team at Surrey Police and they will be reporting back to me to outline what immediate action is taking place to ensure we meet the recommendations set out by HMICFRS.
“There were positives in the report too. The trust that the public place in their police officers to act ethically and lawfully is incredibly important, so I was pleased to see a ‘Good’ grading given in respect of how the Force deals with potential corruption in its ranks.
“Surrey Police has made great strides over the last year in the service they provide to our residents – crime rates are falling, the number of arrests is going up and they are one of the fastest improving forces in the country.
“But we must ensure that hard work isn’t undermined by any drop in the Force’s professional standards or vetting procedures.
“I will be closely scrutinising the Force in the coming weeks and months to ensure those recommendations highlighted in this report are made in full.”