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Journalists’ union demands official probe into secret police misconduct hearings

Michelle Stanistreet 1Journalists’ union bosses have hit out at the “deeply alarming” level of secrecy surrounding police misconduct hearings.

The National Union of Journalists has demanded and official investigation into the matter after The Times revealed one in four such hearings are held in private.

HTFP reported in August how an investigation by Jody Doherty-Cove, of Brighton daily The Argus, and The New Statesman’s Michael Goodier found 212 police staff across England and Wales dismissed for gross misconduct had left service without either their names or the reason for their sacking being made public.

Jody and Michael discovered some of the officers were dismissed in private meetings away from the press and public, or were granted anonymity, while others were sacked in supposedly public meetings, or had notices placed online, of which there is no current record.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet, pictured, said: “The findings by The Times which show the level of secrecy surrounding police misconduct hearings is deeply alarming, especially in the light of the Sarah Everard case.

“The fact that the newspaper has had to use FoI requests to gain clarity on this issue tells its own story.

“The results of their investigations show that one in four hearings were held in private, that journalists were routinely blocked when they argued for open proceedings, and that almost half of 40 misconduct outcome notices relating to officers and staff in England and Wales in the past month were anonymised.

“The government must launch an immediate investigation into this situation and ensure that these hearings are made public and there is the greatest possible transparency.

“Public confidence – particularly among women – in the police is woefully low, and this investigation reveals an institution that is resistant to scrutiny and oversight. The police must be held accountable and stop protecting their own in this way.”