Rebuilding trust in policing is top priority says Thames Valley chief

Confidence in policing nationally has been hit by a series of scandals largely involving the country’s largest police force, London’s Metropolitan Police, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving PC Wayne Couzens in 2021.

The damning Casey Review, published in March, found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, detailing widespread reports of bullying.

Baroness Louise Casey, whose review exposed institutional racism and misogyny in the Met Picture: PA Media

Speaking as he took on the top role in Thames Valley Police this month, Chief Constable Jason Hogg told the Oxford Mail: “There is no doubt that public confidence has been affected in policing across the country as a result of recent events in the Metropolitan Police.

“I know [that] first-hand because people tell me that it affects public trust here.

“I think the trust and confidence issue is a number one issue for policing nationally.”

He said he believed the Thames Valley force, where efforts have been made to recruit more black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and around half of staff are women, was a ‘good’ one. Inspectors last year concluded that the largest non-metropolitan force in England had an ‘ethical and inclusive culture’.

But he told ITV that he would be ‘absolutely unapologetic in rooting out’ officers and staff members who do not meet the standards expected of them.

“In the coming weeks and months you will see more misconduct cases and some officers charged and go[ing] to court for offences,” he added.

Last year, Newbury police officer Oliver Perry-Smith was jailed for three and a half years and branded a ‘sexual predator’ after he had sex with vulnerable women engaged in inappropriate relationships at work.

Oliver Perry-Smith Picture: PA Media

Within months, Oxford-based officer Craig Finch was spared jail after he admitted having extreme pornography. He resigned from the force before he was sacked.

In 2020, Finch won a Thames Valley Police community award for his work with the city’s homeless, with the citation saying he had built trust with those who have a ‘lack of confidence’ in the police.

In the past year, a string of officers have faced internal misconduct hearings, including for drink driving, sharing ‘racist’ WhatsApp messages and engaging in inappropriate relationships.

In a number of cases, the officers have been granted anonymity by the lawyers chairing the misconduct panel.

In March, after Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick was given life imprisonment for rape, it was announced that all police officers would be re-vetted.

Last week, Thames Valley was unable to say how many – if any – of its police officers had been suspended from duty as a result of enhanced checks.