Disciplinary hearings for 
police to be held in public

Revealing plans for a raft of reviews of disciplinary procedures, whistleblowing and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Home Secretary said the plans would build on previous reforms to boost confidence in the police.

Senior Army officer Major General Clive Chapman has been appointed to review the disciplinary system from “end to end”, Mrs May told MPs.

She said: “Together these measures represent a substantial overhaul of the systems that hold police officers to account. They will build on our radical programme of police reform.

“And they will help to ensure police honesty and integrity are protected and corruption and misconduct rooted out.”

The Home Secretary’s Commons statement said Maj Gen Chapman’s review would draw on best practice from the private and public sectors.

She told MPs: “The police disciplinary system is complex. It has developed organically rather than being structured to fit its purpose.

“It lacks transparency for the public, it is bureaucratic and it lacks independence.

“I intend to consult publicly on the policies that emerge from the review later this year. In addition to the review, I want to make some specific changes to the police disciplinary system.

“In particular, I want to hold disciplinary hearings in public to improve transparency and justice. And I will launch a public consultation on these proposals later this year.”

Changes will also be proposed to whistleblowing and the IPCC’s role in investigating the police, Mrs May said.

The Home Secretary said the Government had committed to changes on whistleblowing in response to the Ellison Review, which looked into police handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry.