Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

BUILDING CAPACITY
Case study – Ms GG
GG was a Sergeant who wished to take part in the Part III promotion process. She was put
forward by her line manager, but the BOCU’s Senior Management Team did not recommend
her for a board. She requested detailed feedback so she could understand the reasons that
her application for promotion had not been successful. This was not given. All eight male
candidates from the borough were recommended whilst the only other officer who was not
recommended was another female Sergeant.
Although GG has subsequently been promoted to Inspector, she was engaged in applying for
promotion for three years. During this period, every male officer who applied for promotion
(save one officer with a poor sick record) was recommended, while no female officer was.
Case Study – IND 14
IND 14 was a Sergeant wishing to apply for promotion, who was unable to do so even
though he was fully qualified in every other way, because the relevant policy provided that an
applicant needed less than 30 days sickness in the previous three years. As a result of injuries
sustained during police operations, he had more sickness on his record than the policy
allowed and this stood in the way of his application even though he was now fully fit.
The officer appealed, and his appeal was rejected on the grounds that he had “altered the font
size on the appeal form.” The MPS has commented that font size is prescribed because “equal
space for all candidates ensures fairness.” Taking this explanation into account, the Inquiry takes
the view that the correct response would have been to ask the officer to resubmit his appeal
using the correct font size.
The officer told us that when senior managers stepped in to help him after he complained,
there was no discussion about the unfair application of the policy concerned but only talk
“to work out strategies where I could manufacture evidence to fill in boxes on the next application for
promotion.”
He subsequently initiated a complaint under FAW, but this was refused on the basis that the
promotion process has its own appeals process. He then wrote to the Commissioner, who
referred the matter to the HR department. The officer has told us that “to this day, I have not
even had an acknowledgment that they will deal with it or even pass it onto someone else to deal.”
Case study – Ms LL
LL was a Sergeant applying for promotion in circumstances similar to Ms GG, and had her
application blocked by the Senior Management Team in her BOCU. She ultimately initiated
Employment Tribunal proceedings for discrimination on the basis of her gender and
subsequently was promoted.
When LL met the Borough Commander who had sat on her board, he was under the
impression that she had received face to face feedback and a development plan from her line
manager, even though she had not.
LL commented that: “Once the decision was made to promote me, I had to make most of the telephone
calls and enquiries to establish the date of my promotion and to find myself a suitable position. I am still
waiting for my back pay from June to be paid to me, I am hopeful that it will be in my February pay.”
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