Bedfordshire Police crack down on vetting officers after rapist cop scandal

Bedfordshire's Chief Constable says he’s putting more resources into re-vetting officers and staff following the conviction of Met officer David Carrick.

Police behaviour and misconduct processes fell under the spotlight once again after it emerged that serving Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick – who admitted to a string of sexual offences and rapes spanning two decades – faced no misconduct action or criminal sanctions despite coming to the attention of the force on several occasions.

Now, Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst has pledged to “review every complaint or concern raised” as well as tackling the vetting backlog.

He was responding to Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, who had asked for information on implementing national recommendations on vetting; the status of vetting for Bedfordshire’s workforce, and what was being done to ensure complaints against officers and staff were being taken seriously.

Mr Rodenhurst said: “There is no place in this force for anyone who does not uphold the values and standards we expect in policing.

"Last week’s awful case once again highlighted the need for us to continually check the backgrounds of our workforce and strengthen our processes to root out anyone who betrays those standards or who poses a risk to the public.”

In the letter, Mr Rodenhurst confirmed every member of the force had been initially vetted, with 93 per cent of officers having since been re-vetted. That leaves 17 still to be reviewed alongside 112 staff and seven Special Constables.

In addition, 113 officers required a higher level of vetting due to being deployed into new roles. A further two specially trained officers will be included in the vetting team.

“I will continue to invest into our Professional Standards Department (PSD) to ensure we get through our vetting backlog, but also to review every complaint or concern raised," said Mr Rodenhurst.

"Vetting is a really important tool, but it will not identify every person who should not be in policing, which is why we need to keep reinforcing our standards and encourage our workforce to challenge and call out inappropriate behaviour and conduct.

“Whilst I am Chief Constable of Bedfordshire there will be a complete focus on ensuring we have a culture where anyone who may pose a risk to the public, or my officers and staff, will be identified, made to leave policing, and put in front of the courts and brought to justice if that is what is required.”

Mr Akinbusoye said: “Without trust and confidence there can be no effective policing of our communities, and people need to be reassured that forces are taking these issues seriously.

"I am pleased with our Chief Constable’s commitment to transparency in showing what he is doing to ensure that the highest standards and a healthy culture within Bedfordshire Police are priorities.

“I have spent time with our Professional Standards Department to better understand their work. This team has some of our most experienced officers and staff to deal with complaints. Furthermore, a community scrutiny panel is now in place to also ensure the best decisions are being made.”