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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Police watchdog IPCC 'woefully under-equipped' | Police watchdog IPCC 'woefully under-equipped' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| MPs say the police watchdog for England and Wales is overwhelmed, woefully underequipped and failing to get to the truth of allegations of wrongdoing. | MPs say the police watchdog for England and Wales is overwhelmed, woefully underequipped and failing to get to the truth of allegations of wrongdoing. |
| A Home Affairs Committee report said the Independent Police Complaints Commission needed more resources. | A Home Affairs Committee report said the Independent Police Complaints Commission needed more resources. |
| The MPs said the body needed more powers and should spend more time investigating police corruption. | The MPs said the body needed more powers and should spend more time investigating police corruption. |
| Chairwoman Dame Anne Owers welcomed the report, saying the IPCC was struggling to meet legitimate expectations. | Chairwoman Dame Anne Owers welcomed the report, saying the IPCC was struggling to meet legitimate expectations. |
| Almost 32,000 police officers faced complaints between 2011 and 2012 - many of them trivial and dealt with informally. | Almost 32,000 police officers faced complaints between 2011 and 2012 - many of them trivial and dealt with informally. |
| 'Not yet capable' | 'Not yet capable' |
| But in a scathing report, MPs said the IPCC was overloaded with appeals. Serious police corruption cases were being under-investigated while resources went on less serious complaints, the report said. | But in a scathing report, MPs said the IPCC was overloaded with appeals. Serious police corruption cases were being under-investigated while resources went on less serious complaints, the report said. |
| "Police officers are warranted with powers that can strip people of their liberty, their money and even their lives and it is vital that the public have confidence that those powers are not abused," said the MPs. | "Police officers are warranted with powers that can strip people of their liberty, their money and even their lives and it is vital that the public have confidence that those powers are not abused," said the MPs. |
| "We conclude that the Independent Police Complaints Commission is not yet capable of delivering the kind of powerful, objective scrutiny that is needed to inspire that confidence." | "We conclude that the Independent Police Complaints Commission is not yet capable of delivering the kind of powerful, objective scrutiny that is needed to inspire that confidence." |
| MPs said the IPCC had too many former police officers among its investigators and delegated too many complaints to the police forces to investigate themselves, only to overturn the police's conclusions in a third of appeals. | MPs said the IPCC had too many former police officers among its investigators and delegated too many complaints to the police forces to investigate themselves, only to overturn the police's conclusions in a third of appeals. |
| The body lacked specialists capable of analysing crime scenes in the critical hours after an incident involving the police, they said. | The body lacked specialists capable of analysing crime scenes in the critical hours after an incident involving the police, they said. |
| "Compared with the might of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, the IPCC is woefully under-equipped and hamstrung in achieving its original objectives," said the MPs, adding that it was smaller than Scotland Yard's own internal investigations team. | "Compared with the might of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, the IPCC is woefully under-equipped and hamstrung in achieving its original objectives," said the MPs, adding that it was smaller than Scotland Yard's own internal investigations team. |
| The MPs say the government should provide ring-fenced funding for investigations affecting police integrity, such as the Andrew Mitchell Downing Street "plebgate" affair. | The MPs say the government should provide ring-fenced funding for investigations affecting police integrity, such as the Andrew Mitchell Downing Street "plebgate" affair. |
| The committee's chairman, Keith Vaz, said the IPPC needed to be able able to interview police officers under caution. | |
| "They need to be able to send their decisions back to local police forces and these decisions need to be binding," he said. | |
| "They need to review on an annual basis the appeals that have come to them so they know that what they say is being put into effect. But more than that they need to take on more cases and deal with them from the start." | |
| Hillsborough investigation | Hillsborough investigation |
| The IPCC is currently trying to embark on its biggest ever investigation by examining allegations that police officers were involved in a cover-up of failings following the 96 deaths at the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy. | The IPCC is currently trying to embark on its biggest ever investigation by examining allegations that police officers were involved in a cover-up of failings following the 96 deaths at the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy. |
| Parliament has passed legislation to give the body more powers for the massive inquiry and ministers are guaranteeing funding for extra investigators currently being recruited. | Parliament has passed legislation to give the body more powers for the massive inquiry and ministers are guaranteeing funding for extra investigators currently being recruited. |
| Dame Anne said: "This report recognises that we do not yet have the resources or powers to do all that the public rightly expects and needs from us. | Dame Anne said: "This report recognises that we do not yet have the resources or powers to do all that the public rightly expects and needs from us. |
| "That is what we have been saying for a long time. | "That is what we have been saying for a long time. |
| "Without that, we will continue to struggle to meet the legitimate expectations of complainants and of families who have lost someone in tragic circumstances. | "Without that, we will continue to struggle to meet the legitimate expectations of complainants and of families who have lost someone in tragic circumstances. |
| "We are a demand-led organisation, and, as the committee's report shows, the demand for our services continues to grow. But all of this needs resources and powers." | "We are a demand-led organisation, and, as the committee's report shows, the demand for our services continues to grow. But all of this needs resources and powers." |
| A Home Office spokesman said: "Improving police professionalism and integrity are at the cornerstone of the sweeping reforms we are making to the police force, and the IPCC has a key role to play. | A Home Office spokesman said: "Improving police professionalism and integrity are at the cornerstone of the sweeping reforms we are making to the police force, and the IPCC has a key role to play. |
| "We are already working to ensure the organisation has the powers and resources it needs to manage the challenges it is currently facing and we will shortly announce a package of new measures designed to further improve the public's trust in the police." | "We are already working to ensure the organisation has the powers and resources it needs to manage the challenges it is currently facing and we will shortly announce a package of new measures designed to further improve the public's trust in the police." |
| The watchdog was set up in 2004 after its predecessor was severely criticised in the report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. | The watchdog was set up in 2004 after its predecessor was severely criticised in the report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. |
| It also has powers to investigate complaints against the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency. | It also has powers to investigate complaints against the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency. |