UK to make hearings public for rogue cops

(CNS): The UK’s home secretary has plans for police disciplinary hearings to be held in public. Cayman often copies the UK’s police procedures and such transparency here would be widely welcomed as concerns have been expressed for a long time about the way police complaints are handled. Cayman doesn’t yet have an independent body to deal with complaints about officers and even when they are disciplined or removed the details are hidden from the public.  In the UK Theresa May said she also wanted to see legal independent experts chairing panels for officers who commit misconduct.

May said the new system, which is set for public consultation, would be "more robust, independent and transparent", according to reports on the BBC.

As part of the plans, panels will have the power to rule that officers whose contracts are terminated for disciplinary reasons should not qualify for a pay-off. May said, "The integrity of the men and women who work in the police service of England and Wales is critical to public trust in policing. I want to ensure that the systems and processes that deal with misconduct by police officers are robust, independent and transparent to the public."

The RCIPS has come in for considerable criticism regarding the way it handles complaints about rogue officers. Complaints are handled behind closeddoors and by other police officers. The outcomes are never made public. Pay-offs are kept under wraps and even when officers have been dismissed the conduct leading to their sacking is never revealed.

Unless the issue reaches the courts, the outcomes regarding complaints and allegations about serving officers have always remained secret.

Although the RCIPS did eventually make public a report regarding the events leading up to the suicide of officer Raphael Anthony Williams after an independent review was carried out by the Bermuda police, a report into whether or not the commissioner had used excessive force when he ran over a suspected robber was not.

Williams hanged himself in East End in January days after he was released from custody having been arrested by his colleagues over allegations that he was soliciting sexual favours in exchange for not issuing traffic tickets. The events leading up to his suicide were documented in the report and the conclusions of the investigation were made public.

However, in contrast the enquiry into whether or not Police Commissioner David Baines had used excessive force when he ran offer a suspect in the wake of a jewellery heist on New Year’s Day remains under wraps. Although officials had confirmed that no action would be taken against David Baines in connection with the significant injuries sustained by Jonathan Ramoon after the top cop had used his car to run down Ramoon and prevent his escape, the details of the internal probe have never been published. In addition, the identity of the officer conducting that enquiry has never been confirmed.