National News
Thousands of police on the beat without current background checks
May 23, 2017 posted by Steve Brownstein
Thousands of police officers across the UK have not had up-to-date background checks to ensure they are suitable to serve.
Figures reveal 90% of officers employed by one force have not been vetted in line with current policy.
Vetting aims to help prevent corruption in the police by checking an officer or potential officer's background.
Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Mike Cunningham said forces "need to address this matter urgently".
Responding to a request from the BBC under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, Northumbria
Police admitted almost 3,000 or nine out of ten of its officers still had not been vetted in line with the most recent policy.
The latest vetting guidelines were introduced by the Association of Chief Police Officers. All new police officers and staff are expected to be vetted, while serving officers are expected to undergo retrospective checks. Prior to 2012, forces had their own vetting procedures.
Out of 48 police forces, 17 responded in full to the FoI request. About 14,000 police officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had not undergone up-to-date checks.
Mr Cunningham said the "unacceptable" backlog needed to be given higher priority within forces, and called for "appropriate levels of resources" to be allocated.
He said: "I think it is simply a question of volume outstripping the supply of people to do the tasks.
"There is no doubt that forces who have not vetted or re-vetted large numbers of their staff are subject to a vulnerability."