Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help increase public trust in the police.

The Government has been clear that police officers must be held to the highest standards and that this is vital to public trust.

The Home Office established the Angiolini Inquiry following the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, to identify lessons for policing so that the public can have confidence that the police are there to protect them. Part 1 of the Inquiry is due to report in early 2024. In May this year the Home Secretary commissioned Part 2 of the Inquiry to consider broader issues in policing, such as vetting, recruitment and culture, as well as the safety of women in public spaces. The terms of reference for Part 2 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/angiolini-inquiry-part-2-terms-of-reference.

The Home Office has recently announced measures to strengthen the police dismissals system, to ensure processes are effective at removing those not fit to serve. The review’s full report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-officer-dismissals-home-office-review. The Home Secretary also asked the College of Policing to strengthen the statutory code of practice for police vetting, which was published in July and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-vetting-code-of-practice.