Nottinghamshire Police has responded to a national report that condemned poor police vetting standards released by a police watchdog. The force was one of eight inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which reviewed hundreds of police vetting files for recent recruits.
It said it uncovered too many cases of officers having criminal records or links to organised crime, adding that they should not have been allowed to join the police and that it had been “too easy” for them to do so. The chances of someone like Sarah Everard’s murderer Wayne Couzens becoming a police officer would have been “clearly reduced” had measures been put in place to improve screening checks, the watchdog has said.
Nottinghamshire Police said the inspectorate rated them as "Good" with only one area for improvement, which has since been addressed. During the inspection HMICFRS dip sampled the forces' vetting data and found all officers and staff had the correct level of vetting for their role. In the vast majority of cases, Nottinghamshire Police recorded the decision and rationale "well."
