Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support systems are available for whistleblowers within the police to report colleagues (a) misusing police databases ad (b) engaging in cybercrimes.

The commission of any criminal offence by police officers or staff is unacceptable and can seriously damage vital public trust and confidence in the police service

That is why the Home Secretary announced a series of reforms in October last year to raise standards in policing. These changes will strengthen the police misconduct system by introducing a presumption of dismissal for proven gross misconduct and mandating that conviction of certain criminal offences will automatically amount to gross misconduct.

Police officers have a statutory duty to report any wrongdoing under their Standards of Professional Behaviour and it is vital that they are supported in doing so. There are a number of routes, both internal and external, to raise such concerns, including through the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Reporting Line, which enables police officers and staff to report concerns of wrongdoing that a criminal offence has been committed, or where there is evidence of conduct that would justify disciplinary proceedings.