At its September meeting Performance Committee members considered correspondence from PSNI which recorded that in 2018 the Service spent £1.2m in meeting the salary costs of Officers who are suspended pending the conclusion of the relevant disciplinary procedures. The Committee accepts that Officers are entitled to a timely completion of disciplinary proceedings however it also believes there is an onus on Senior Management to demonstrate it is using finite public funds efficiently and effectively particularly at a time when PSNI leadership is seeking additional resources. Can the Chief Constable therefore advise on what steps have been taken and are currently being considered to expedite disciplinary proceedings so that the dual objectives of fair process and effective stewardship of public money are achieved by reducing the current cost of funding Officers who are suspended?
The cost paid to suspended officers does represent a significant amount of public money. However any allegation of wrongdoing by any officer is taken extremely seriously and must be thoroughly investigated by the Police Ombudsman or Professional Standards when appropriate.
This can often result in officers being suspended on full pay or repositioned pending the outcome of an investigation. Such decisions follow due process and are made in line with the Police Conduct Regulations and associated Department of Justice Guidance. Gross Misconduct is defined as a breach of the Code of Ethics so serious that if proven dismissal would be justified. It is only in such serious circumstances that suspension is a consideration.
In every case in which an officer is suspended there is a review of both the reasons for the suspension and the progress of the investigation every four weeks or earlier if material fresh information comes to light.
The number of officers suspended on an annual basis has decreased from 48 in 2017 to 35 in 2018 and most recently sat at 21.
Given that the declaratory purpose of the police conduct regime is to improve public confidence in policing, the Police Conduct Regulations (NI) 2016 provide a better opportunity than the former regulations to achieve timely resolution. Professional Standards Department have revised their approach to case management in order to expedite proceedings and reduce the overall time taken to resolve cases. In addition, further training has been given to the Appropriate Authority and Chairs of Misconduct Hearings in order to better understand this changing ethos with an emphasis on learning from mistakes rather than punitive action.