Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
The experiences of individuals
7.82 Police officers enjoy significant powers and public confidence requires that, if
there is a suggestion that an officer’s conduct falls below the expected standard,
the matter will be investigated.
7.83 Even if the reforms we are proposing to the conduct and discipline framework
are accepted, the MPS will be operating under the current regime for a while yet.
We have already alluded to the mass of evidence that we have received which is
critical of how DPS operates. We believe that there are changes DPS can make to its
working practices which will enable the directorate to work more effectively under
the current regulatory regime.
7.84 The evidence we have received from individuals and staff support associations
focuses on the way DPS conducts its investigations into individuals. We have, as an
Inquiry, been concerned by some of the evidence we have heard and the lack of
sensitivity to the feelings and concerns of those involved. It is no exaggeration to
say that we have heard from individuals whose lives have been destroyed by their
involvement in the disciplinary process.
7.85 It is not surprising that some officers are unhappy about the fact of having
their conduct questioned by a professional standards directorate. Nevertheless, we
have found the evidence of many witnesses who have critcised the ways in which
the investigation into their conduct has been carried out, and the way that they
have been treated by DPS, consistent and compelling.
153