Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

THE CASE FOR CHANGE
7.160 In their response to this criticism, the MPS told us that the evidence we
had received on this point was “historic in nature” and that new practices had
been introduced when the IPCC took office in April 2004. However, the incident
in the case of Ms JJ, referred to above, occurred in July 2004.
7.161 This implies a callous disregard for the individuals involved. Officers are
entitled to be told the detail of any charges they face particularly after so long a
period of being ‘in limbo’.
We recommend that measures are put in place to ensure that officers under
investigation (other than covert investigations) are kept informed of
developments and that officers are told of the detail of any charges at the
time they are told of a decision to discipline them.
Disciplinary hearings
7.162 We are also concerned about some of the evidence we have heard about
disciplinary hearings. Ms AA, who was a victim of sexual harassment told us about
the layout of the room: “The one thing that was not particularly good was the actual layout
of the board, because literally, I would be sitting here and [redacted – the accused officer]
would be there, so that was far, far too close for me to really feel comfortable to be talking
about everything that had happened.”
7.163 The layout and atmosphere appear to be akin to a criminal court and we
consider this to be inappropriate.
7.164 We have heard evidence that officers attending a disciplinary hearing are
not, it appears, allowed to be accompanied by a friend or partner. We were
reassured by the Deputy Commissioner’s statement that he thought people who
were connected to the hearing should be allowed in.
We recommend that the conduct of disciplinary hearings should be reviewed
to make them less akin to a criminal court.
We also recommend that, in sensitive cases, or where there are vulnerable
witnesses, thought should be given to the layout of the room and other
practical considerations, such as allowing those involved to be accompanied
by a friend or partner, so that the process is less daunting for all those involved.
Guidelines on sanctions
7.165 We have been concerned at some of the evidence we have received about
inconsistency in the sanctions meted out to officers and also that sanctions have
been imposed which we regard as inadequate given the offence.
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