Thousands of British police officers lack selective standards.
BBC statistics show that more than a quarter of British troops have not been recruited under the 2006 Selection Procedure. The National Police Chiefs Council says it is the duty of all police stations to ensure that the selection process for the staff of this security agency is up to date. The selection of police officers includes matters such as a review of the criminal record, the conduct of family and friends, and financial problems that may expose the applicant to corruption.
The British Military Academy introduced the code in 2006 to ensure that all troops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are recruited in accordance with appropriate selection standards.
In 2019, the Police Performance Oversight Authority gave all police stations time to review the status of all their officers and staff, regardless of how long they served, in accordance with the 2006 Code. But figures from the BBC show that more than a quarter of police forces have not yet met the deadline.
This comes to the fore after the murder of Sarah Everard, a young woman who was abducted and then murdered by a police officer a few months ago.
According to the report, nine “Nicolas Brooks” women, who waived their right to remain anonymous, were sexually harassed by former Sussex police inspector Tony Lomb. In 2015, Lomb targeted Ms. Brooks on the pretext of helping her in her case. Brooks said he regularly visited her while on duty and sexually abused her. Brooks eventually realized that what Lumbe was doing was wrong and introduced him to the police.
In 2020, after an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), it was revealed that he had sex with three other women while on duty and was fired for misconduct. The IPCC report also shows that Lumb’s abuse was reported to Sussex police in 2012, but was not properly investigated.
During his 27 years as an officer, Lumbe could have been arrested twice under the 2006 Selection Procedure.
According to the report, 47 police departments have stated that 2,515 police officers and employees have not been recruited in accordance with the new selection procedures. The figure does not include London police, who said they could not provide the data in a timely manner. However, research shows that more than 650 London police officers and staff have not been recruited under the 2006 Selection Procedure.
