Police call for new corruption body

The Police Federation has called for an independent body to be set up to investigate allegations of police corruption, after comments by several chief constables that they were powerless to sack corrupt or grossly incompetent officers.

Fred Broughton, chairman of the Police Federation, said he had checked all 43 forces in England and Wales to seek evidence of the extent and validity of the allegations of corruption.

Last month, Edward Crew, head of West Midlands Police, said that some of his staff would have been automatically dismissed for dishonesty if they worked for a supermarket, but he was forced to keep them on because of protective practices.

Mr Crew, and fellow police chief officers in England and Wales, have already asked the Home Office to reduce the standard of proof needed for forces to sack police officers considered corrupt or grossly incompetent. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said last night that a review of procedures was underway. Kate Watson-Smyth