'A step back to kangaroo courts': GMP union chief blasts plans to overhaul police misconduct cases

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A police union chief has blasted government changes to misconduct proceedings for officers as a "complete contradiction to what fairness and indepedence stand for." Greater Manchester Police Federation chair, Mke Peake, said it would amount to a return to "police chiefs marking their own homework." As reported in the Manchester Evening News, police officers could be sacked automatically if they're found guilty of gross misconduct if government plans to overhaul the disciplinary process go ahead.

Chief constables, or other senior officers, will have greater powers to root out and sack rogue cops from their forces as part of reforms which will see them once again preside over misconduct hearings.

Force bosses will also have the right to challenge decisions they disagree with, the Home Office said, while law changes will make sure officers who fail vetting checks can be sacked. J oin our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link . The move is designed to rebuild the public's trust and confidence in the police after it was shattered by scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens and the unmasking of former police constable David Carrick as a serial abuser and rapist.

The Home Office carried out a review of the police disciplinary system in the wake of the cases. Lawyers known as legally qualified chairs (LQCs) were brought in to oversee police disciplinary panels in 2016 as part of efforts to make the system more transparent.