New lists launched to stop disgraced officers and staff re-entering policing

Officers sacked for gross misconduct will have their names published online under new plans to make policing more transparent. Measures introduced on Friday (December 15) mean all officers, police staff and specials dismissed for conduct or performance reasons will now be placed on the new Police Barred List. The policy, brought in under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, should make it harder for sacked police personnel to find employment elsewhere in the service. The names of officers and specials will be placed on a publicly searchable database on the College of Policing’s website, although police staff who are dismissed will have their identities protected. A separate internal list will contain the names of anyone who retires or resigns while under investigation. Detective Superintendent Jackie Alexander, from the College of Policing, said: “The vast majority of officers and staff come into the service to protect the public and they act with integrity and respect. “It is encouraging to see that trust and confidence in policing has been steadily rising to its highest rating in recent years, but those who do fall short of the standards expected of them will now not find a way back into the police once dismissed. “The new lists introduced today are intended to ensure the public are served only by those suitable to hold policing posts. It will prevent those dismissed from policing from re-entering the service.” The new lists replace the college’s Disapproved Register, which lacked legislative backing requiring names to be placed on it or published. The Police Barred List will start being populated with dismissals as they take place from December 15. Forces will have five days to inform the college of dismissals and the list will be updated at the end of each month. Names will remain on the database for up to five years. If an officer resigns while under investigation and is placed on the Police Advisory List, but it later emerges that they would have been dismissed if they were still serving, they will be moved to the Police Barred List. Any names on the Disapproved Register will not be transferred over but will remain in the Police National Database.