IOPC statement following conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin

Independent Office for Police Conduct Director General Michael Lockwood said:

“The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May was a tragic event which shone a spotlight on police accountability, use of force and discrimination.

Whilst we have a different system of policing and police accountability in the UK, recent events in the United States reinforce the importance of the IOPC in providing independent and robust oversight of policing in England and Wales.

Policing in the UK is by consent, which makes accountability and public trust paramount. Our work provides assurance to the community that policing practice is properly undertaken, and reminds police of their obligations to uphold professional standards of behaviour.

We continue to investigate hundreds of cases each year where police use of force, discrimination, abuse of power, deaths following police contact and corruption are called into question. Our investigations help determine whether there was misconduct involved and we seek advice from the Crown Prosecution Service where we be believe conduct is criminal. Our work is free from interference by police or government.

The majority of police officers are honest and maintain the high standards of professional behaviour which the public expect of them. For the small number that don’t, it is important there is accountability and, where appropriate, learning.

Police are held to account in many ways – through disciplinary hearings, through the courts and through learning recommendations we make to police forces. Since we were established three years ago, we have made more than 400 learning recommendations to further improve policing practice across forces.

We will also continue to investigate allegations of inappropriate use of force and discrimination in policing and expect to share emerging findings from the work we have been doing on race-based discrimination and Taser use during summer.”