Complex police complaints

The Chair and Panel recommend that the National Police Chiefs' Council ensures that complaints relating to child sexual abuse are no longer 'disapplied' by police forces on the grounds that the incident involved took place more than 12 months before the complaint was submitted.

During a whole-system civil emergency, the UK government and devolved administrations should each routinely publish technical advice on scientific, economic and social matters at the earliest opportunity, as well as the minutes of expert advisory groups – except where there are good reasons that prevent publication, such as commercial confidentiality, personal safety or national security, or because legal...

The Metropolitan Police must ensure that the necessary resources are allocated to the task of tackling corrupt behaviour among its officers. Without proper resources there can be no effective fight against corruption. Since the Independent Office for Police Conduct has responsibility for investigating such matters, it must also be properly resourced to do so.

That Investigating Officers' reports resulting from public complaints should not attract Public Interest Immunity as a class. They should be disclosed to complainants, subject only to the "substantial harm" test for withholding disclosure.

Serious consideration should be given to the public interest in amending the current legislation so that allegations of 'simple' misconduct, as distinct from 'gross' misconduct, will survive following a police officer's resignation or retirement. I do not recommend that the survival of allegations of simple misconduct carries with it any threat to a pension entitlement, but any post-resignation/retirement...

The Government Office for Science (GO-Science), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) should each develop standard terms of appointment for all participants in scientific advisory groups. These terms should include: clarity around the nature of an individual's role and the extent of their responsibility, as well as the likely time commitment;...

The IOPC should be provided with the power to require a force to take 'management action' in situations that fall short of misconduct but where standards of conduct and/or performance have fallen short of a reasonable public expectation. A force required by the IOPC to carry out such 'management action' should confirm within 28 days of the requirement...

Consideration should be given to the introduction of a practice requiring, as an alternative to a face-to-face interview, the submission of a list of questions for written answer within a fixed time – failure to provide which, absent a reasonable excuse, would amount to misconduct.