Recommendation - Norfolk Constabulary, March 2021
This review identified learning in relation to Norfolk Constabulary's training practices around off duty conduct and officers inadvertently placing themselves on duty. The Home Office Guidance 2020 paragraph 2.21 states that “when police officers produce their warrant card or act in a way to suggest that they are acting in their capacity as a police officer (e.g. declaring that they are a police officer) they are demonstrating that they are exercising their authority and have therefore put themselves on duty and will act in a way which conforms to these standards.” This does not appear to be covered in the student training programme which was limited to a single slide relating to an inappropriate use of the warrant card.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Norfolk Constabulary devise a training programme or incorporate into existing training the content of the revised Home Office Guidance (Conduct, Efficiency and Effectiveness: Statutory Guidance on Professional Standards, Performance and Integrity in Policing)2020 regarding off duty conduct. It is suggested that the training include case studies for use in future training (including refresher training) illustrating the ways off duty police officers may inadvertently place themselves on duty thereby becoming subject to all of the Standards of Professional Behaviour highlighted in the 2020 Guidance.
This follows an IOPC review where an off duty officer helping a friend to retrieve belongings, introduced himself to a neighbour as a police officer, in an effort to prevent the neighbour from calling the police and wasting police time and also contacted the police approved locksmith for the friend to enable access to the property. In doing so it is believed that the officer inadvertently placed himself on duty.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Norfolk Constabulary has reviewed and accepted the learning recommendation provided by the IOPC.
In order to address the recommendations highlighted the following action will be taken:
- An entry will be made in the April edition of the Professional Standards Department monthly bulletin ‘Learning Times.’ This publication is disseminated to all staff and officers across both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary. The entry will detail off duty conduct and identifying yourself as a police officer; effectively putting yourself on duty outside of your normal working hours.
- New slides will be developed to incorporate into current training packages to inform officers about this subject matter. The training packages intended to be updated to reflect this recommendation is the PSD input given to all new student officers, and CPD inputs given to supervisors by PSD. This case, and one we have advised the IOPC of in a recent email regarding this matter will be used as examples.
- Following this recommendation, we are in consultation with the Corporate Communications Team to develop the external websites of both organisations, to incorporate a section specifically focused on Paragraph 28A recommendations, actions taken and the publication.