Gross misconduct hearings at Wiltshire Police up 175% in 12 months
20 members of the organisation have left as a result of investigations into breaches of professional standards
Wiltshire's Police Chief has revealed gross misconduct hearings at the Force have risen by 175% in the last year.
Chief Constable Catherine Roper has been responding to public debate around the conduct of police and sanctions handed out for those who breach professional standards.
It follows new rules being introduced last month, which have "created a presumption of dismissal for proven gross misconduct", meaning there is an expectation of officers being fired unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Writing in her most recent open letter to Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, the Chief insisted she expects "the highest level of professionalism, care and diligence from each of my officers, staff and volunteers."
Chief Roper added: "Where this falls short, it is right that robust and timely enquiries take place to ascertain why and, crucially, what impact this might have had on our service to the public."
She said it's vital to have a "transparent and accountable" approach to misconduct within the Force, with the public having a fair expectation of knowing what action is being taken against those who let them down.
The latest misconduct data for Wiltshire Police shows there have been 33 hearings (for police officers) and meetings (for police staff) for gross misconduct in the last year.
This is up from 12 the year prior.
20 members of the organisation were dismissed, or would have been had they still been serving, including 10 police officers, 2 members of the Special Constabulary and 8 members of police staff.
The Chief said there are 24 active cases of gross misconduct against 24 individuals in the Force, as well as two more being handled by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Furthermore, six staff/officers are suspended from their roles, with five others having been temporarily redeployed from their roles.
"I want to stress that the individuals under investigation in these misconduct cases represent the minority of those working within Wiltshire Police," the Chief said.
We can find out more about misconduct processes, see upcoming hearings and read misconduct hearing outcomes here.