header-logo header-logo

Policing the police

Veronica Cowan reports on a case which is creating uncertainty in police serious misconduct cases
  • Reports on impact of Eckland v Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset.
  • Asks if Legally Qualified Chairs, who hear serious misconduct cases in the police, should have immunity from suit.

As of late I have taken to reading Lynda La Plante crime novels, and if real police officers indulge in some of the antics her fictional ones do, we really should be worried.

But they will, at least, be held to account, and in the UK that is done by Legally Qualified Chairs and Independent Panel Members (LQCs and IPMs), who are appointed by Police and Crime Commissioners, to serve on police misconduct hearing panels. When police authorities chaired these panels, the process was perceived as the police judging the police. This is an important constitutional step, and the stakes are high, because a police officer accused of gross misconduct is at risk of dismissal. To sit on a panel, individuals must satisfy the judicial-appointment

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll