Watchdog: Police must do more to uphold standards

Inspectors have reported on the effectiveness of "integrity arrangements" at Lincolnshire Police

Lincolnshire Police must do more to uphold professional standards and improve counter-corruption arrangements in order to maintain public confidence, a report has found.

Inspectors graded the force as "adequate" in its vetting of police officers and staff.

However, their report said the force "requires improvement" both in tackling potential corruption and upholding the standards of professional behaviour.

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said the force acknowledged the findings and was "working at pace" to implement recommendations.

Roy Wilsher, the inspector of constabulary, said: "Public interest in police behaviour is high.

"There is an increased focus from the government and police on improving vetting, challenging misconduct and tackling corruption."

According to the report, the force had a total of 2,402 police officers, special constables, staff and police community support officers at the time of the inspection last June.

'Need to improve'

Inspectors found the force's vetting unit and human resources department managed its vetting workload well.

However, Mr Wilsher said: "While it has effective governance in its professional standards department and the standard of its corruption investigations are good, improvements are needed here."

The report said there was an inconsistency in training and how staff understood the standards of professional behaviour.

Mr Wilsher said the force also needed to improve how it responded to complaints and "conduct allegations".

In response, Mr Gibson said he accepted there were some areas "where we need to improve", but said the force would act on the recommendations.

"The inspection found that that our vetting is good, we are dealing with the small amount of corrupt officers and staff, our investigation into complaints is thorough and proportionate," he said.

"We have good investigation standards and good supervision when it comes to counter-corruption.

"These are the areas that matter most to the public because if were falling in these areas of work, this is where they would most feel the impact."

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire services.

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