6 Conclusion
123. The College of Policing will be crucial
in the renewal of the office of constable and professionalism
and independence for individual officers. New constables in England
and Wales are required to take the following oath, or "attestation",
under section 29 of the Police Act 1996:
I, ... of ... do solemnly and sincerely declare and
affirm that I will well and truly serve the Queen in the office
of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality,
upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect
to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power, cause
the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against
people and property; and that while I continue to hold the said
office I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge
all the duties thereof faithfully according to law.
124. Integrity has long been at the heart of
policing, but the College of Policing must bring in a new era
of excellence, when integrity must be allied with consistent standards,
high skills and true representation. Only then will the oath of
policing be equivalent to the Hippocratic Oath in the confidence
it instils in the public and the probity it instils in officers.
The days of Dock Green are gone and, while the craft of policing
must be maintained and the instincts of the officer still trusted,
those instincts must be based on sustained professional development
and clear rules.
125. Since 4 February 2013, the College has been
operating as a Limited Company. Alex Marshall told us that:
"At the moment [...] to operate independently
from the Home Office or Government is very difficult, because
the one shareholder is the Home Secretary. There is a clear declaration,
from the Home Secretary and the Police Minister, that the College
of Policing will be independent. At the moment, I have to seek
permission from the Home Office to recruit people into the organisation.
The funding comes directly from the Home Office, and I am subject
to all the accounting rules and the ways of operating that are
found within the Home Office and Government. It needs to be created
separately in statute to have more freedom to operate".[113]
126. He believed that Royal College status would
help move towards the establishment of policing as a recognised
profession.[114]
127. The College of Policing
must be established as an independent, statutory body with all
haste. The status of a company limited by guarantee will stymie
the autonomy of the College; even its temporary location, housed
within the Home Office buildings on Marsham Street, could dent
its capacity to demonstrate its independence. Honesty, integrity,
and transparency should be part of the policing DNA and getting
the College of Policing right is essential to achieving that.
Once the College is established, the Government should recommend
to the Privy Council that it be granted a Royal Charter so that
policing is put on the same footing as the other great professions.
113 Q 241 [Alex Marshall] Back
114
Q 233 [Alex Marshall] Back
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