Police face 'untouchables' clean-up
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Your support makes all the difference.A NATIONAL anti-corruption squad, including agents from the security service, MI5, is being planned to investigate police officers suspected of breaking the law.
Proposals for a team of "untouchable" officers to carry out inquiries come in response to evidence that police corruption is far more widespread than previously thought.
A "task force"- with representatives from among chief constables, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), the National Crime Squad (NCS), MI5, and the Home Office - is examining plans to tackle corruption. The new national squad would have up to 10 regional teams to cover the 43 forces in England and Wales.
A force born out of these discussions is likely to have several hundred staff made up of seconded police officers, NCIS, MI5, Customs, Inland Revenue, and NCS personnel.
The move follows another police scandal in which an allegedly corrupt officer retired with a pounds 60,000 golden handshake and enhanced pension.
Against the background of such cases, chief police officers and the Home Office are keen to develop a more independent system for investigating alleged wrongdoing by the police.
At present, such allegations are investigated by fellow police officers; the most serious cases are handled by officers from an outside force and supervised by the Police Complaints Authority, which has been criticised for lacking teeth.
MI5 is understood to be pressing for a role in investigating police corruption, although police chiefs fear the security service might be "empire building" to fill the void left by the IRA ceasefire. MI5 is allowed only to investigate offences involving organised criminals. More than 120 officers in at least nine forces in England and Wales are currently the subject of corruption investigations, and a recent leaked document from NCIS has declared police wrongdoing a significant national problem.
John Newing, the new president of the Association of Chief Police Officers and Chief Constable of Derbyshire, told The Independent: "The Metropolitan Police has set the trend by setting up a proactive squad. I think others will have to do that." Mr Newing suggested that anti-corruption teams could mirror the planned nine regional development agencies in England and a separate one for Wales, adding that rooting out corruption was one of the most important issues for the police.
He recalled that when he joined the Met in 1963, he had wanted to become a detective. "But it didn't take me long to change my mind. There was always a smell of corruption in those days. There was a gap between uniformed officers and CID," he said.
"Today the level of corruption is far less, but there will always be an element of corruption and corrupt officers because of the potential gains."
Drugs charge officer, page 4
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