Today the rapid review into police accountability was published.
The review recommended that:
- The law be changed so that a higher standard of proof is required in use of force misconduct cases
- There be a public consultation on the standard of proof for unlawful killing in inquests
The Home Office has confirmed that these recommendations will be implemented.
We provided submissions to this review alongside other organisations, noting that:
- Both matters had already been conclusively determined by the UK supreme court
- Officers’ resistance to accountability should not be not be allowed to shape the police disciplinary landscape
- There was no credible evidence for changing the law
- Weakening accountability would put racialised communities and women at further risk of police violence
Yet, these submissions were ignored in favour of long repeated arguments that the systems for police accountability cause officers undue distress.
An appallingly low number of officers are held to account for excessive use of force as it is.
By bowing to pressure from officers and their representatives, the government has proven that it is not interested in rooting out the misconduct that infects the police, the worst of which results in serious injury or death.
Indeed, the rule of law matters so little when it comes to police accountability that the government is willing to overturn two cases previously ruled on by the highest court in the nation just to placate the police.
We shouldn’t be surprised: case after case and decades of reviews and inquiries have proven that there is no desire to hold police accountable and ensure that those responsible for our safety are held to high standards.
