Police officers warned they will be ‘driven out’ of force for misconduct

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Police officers have been told they will be “driven out” of the force if they fail to maintain high professional standards.

Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin’s stern words were delivered at a Conwy County Council crime and disorder, economy and place overview meeting.

His threat comes after police revealed earlier this year that they were investigating 27 misconduct claims involving 24 staff.

Abusing trust

Thirteen of those cases related to violence against women and girls. This included domestic abuse and sexual misconduct.

Speaking at the meeting at Bodlondeb, Mr Dunbobbin discussed the case of former police officer and convicted rapist David Carrick.

“It’s been another challenging year for the entire police service in the UK,” said Mr Dunbobbin.

“We’ve seen police officers abusing their trust. Most of those we’ve seen concerned the Metropolitan Police service (MET) in London.

“We all know of the horrific case of the former police constable David Carrick. And that raised quite a number of questions for us all. It would be naive for anyone to believe these problems are isolated to the MET alone.

“I’ve also had the review conducted by Baroness Casey. Whilst again it focused on the MET, it raised serious questions for us all. And as your police and crime commissioner for North Wales, I’m determined to do all that I can to ensure that our communities receive the best possible police service.”

He added: “I will continue to work with the chief constable to ensure that those officers and staff that do not uphold the high standards will be driven out of the organisation as quickly as possible.

“It’s clear to me that we have a lot of work to do to regain the public’s trust and confidence in policing whilst also we need that model of policing by consent.

“Also it is important for you to know that back in February, North Wales Police were the first police force in Wales to reveal publicly the number of investigations of officers for sexual misconduct claims against women and girls. I think we should take some comfort in that in knowing that we are on the forefront there to try and build that trust and confidence.”