The Federation is to have a role in the training of new Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigators, a move welcomed by Cambridgeshire branch chair Liz Groom.
The Federation hopes that the ‘Meet the Fed’ sessions will lead to smoother relations between officers, their reps and IOPC investigators.
And Liz said she hopes it will raise the standards of investigations, speed up proceedings and make them fairer for officers.
But she said there was still plenty to be done under the Federation’s Time Limits campaign and meet its goal of all IOPC investigations being completed within 12 months.
“This is an important issue for our members,” Liz said, “Lengthy probes can impact the health and wellbeing of officers, their families and their colleagues, so this is a welcome step forward in helping to speed up the process and make it fairer.
“Having Federation involvement in training will help to give IOPC investigators a more rounded picture and should improve standards.
“And while this is a success for our Time Limits campaign, we won’t stop there. We’ll continue to campaign on behalf of our members to ensure that IOPC investigations are completed within 12 months.”
The IOPC recruits will learn about the Police Federation’s conduct and performance liaison officers (CAPLOs) who support members from day one of a complaint and what they will require from them at each stage of an investigation. They will also receive Post-Incident Procedures (PIP) Level 1 and 2 training accredited by the College of Policing.
Phill Matthews, the Federation’s conduct and performance chair, will take part in the sessions.
He said: “This is an important and positive first step towards improving the relationship between IOPC investigators and Fed reps, which should in turn make the disciplinary system fairer for everyone.
“By breaking down barriers, we can open discussions with its investigators on how our reps operate to not just support officers but also assist their investigations from day one. We want to help them make the process as smooth as possible.”
Phill added: “IOPC investigators now having access to PIP training is very welcome news and is something the Federation has been pressing hard for. All detectives are trained to this standard, so it only seems right that IOPC investigators are also trained to this level or higher.
“Ultimately, all we want is fair investigators with the best possible training, gathering the evidence our members need to either clear themselves, or remove the minority of corrupt individuals from the service, in a timely manner.”