Bob
Russell: I want to take this opportunity to repeat the
point that I have made before elsewhere and here today. In his response
to my earlier comments, the Minister acknowledged that disciplinary
procedures for a police community support officer and a full-time
police officer or a special could follow two different lines. Does he
think that a good practice, and does he not agree that the Home Office
needs to look seriously at this? The public perceive a single police
family, but the police operate as if they are permanently divorced.
There is a need for PCSOs to be regarded as part of the family in all
respects, and that includes on disciplinary matters. Although we cannot
do anything today, will the Minister urge his colleagues at the Home
Office to consider how the whole police family can operate as one and
not be
divided? 5.28
pm
Mr.
Coaker: I take this opportunity again to thank the hon.
Members for Colchester and for Bury St. Edmunds. I have a
few concluding remarks. I was asked whether
this is the early review of police regulations promised by the Taylor
review. Yes, it is. The hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds will have
noticed that there is still further work to be done in respect of chief
constables—the very senior officers. Obviously these regulations
do not apply to them, so work still needs to be
done. We
are looking to the NPIA to pursue training, and all of this will be
included in the various courses run by the police. We will take every
opportunity to ensure that these new regulations are explained and that
all officers are fully aware of them. I have no doubt that the
police’s own staff associations will do that. As I am sure hon.
Members have seen, there have been some very good articles in the
various police professional journals. I am sure that there will be
further such articles, which will also
help. As
hon. Members will have noticed, subject to being their passed this
third set of regulations is due to come into force on 1 December.
Although we will not review something that we have just put in place,
we always watch what is happening, as do police forces and individual
staff associations. We learn from that. I cannot say categorically that
every single part of every single regulation that we have just passed
will work exactly as everyone would want. I dare say, knowing the
professionalism and expertise available within the police, that the odd
bit of tweaking may be done. Generally speaking, these provisions have
been arrived at after considerable discussion; we are pleased to have
them. Records
of the sanctions will not be held centrally by the Home Office; they
will be collected and collated at force level. However, we will
obviously want to evaluate the information held at force level to
identify trends and get an overview. I take the point that the hon.
Member for Colchester made about the importance of police community
support officers. I know that he fully supports PCSOs and is proud of
the work they do in his constituency and elsewhere. I echo
that—we are all pleased with the work that they do. At present,
they are separate in terms of these regulations. Where this takes us to
in future, who knows?
In commending
the regulations to the Committee, I stress again that although we are
talking about police misconduct, police performance and the associated
appeals process, the vast majority of police officers, police staff and
other members of the police family do a superb job on our behalf, often
in very difficult and dangerous circumstances. As the Minister with
responsibility for policing, it is important for me to say that
underperformance is an issue for some, but not the vast majority.
Misconduct is an issue for some, but not the vast majority. I am as
proud as anybody of the police service and the police forces of this
country. Question
put and agreed
to. Committee
rose at twenty-eight minutes to Six
o’clock.
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