Recommendations - Cleveland Police, February 2021
Our learning was identified from a conduct matter where we investigated the use of police systems and performed checks by a Cleveland Police staff member.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends Cleveland Police assess whether it is feasible to provide a solution to enable members of staff to record the reason for checks when they are not directly involved in an incident.
The Niche administrator for Cleveland Police informed the IOPC that any checks conducted on the the IT systems known as the Niche computer system automatically records the time and date when checks are made, and by who. However, there is no mandatory requirement to record the reason for the search, and therefore no definitive method of establishing why a Niche record was checked. The implication of this means that it is not possible to establish when police systems are used for personal use or other potentially illegal matters. Conversely, the inability to record the reasons for checks does not provide any protection for members of staff conducting checks and searches for a professional purpose when allegations to the contrary are made.
Do you accept the recommendation?
No
NICHE is a national system and there is no current facility to do this within the system. As such any recommendation would have to be routed through Minerva. I have reviewed the significant extra workload that this recommendation would cause. I do not believe this would be feasible for staff on a day to day basis due to the volume of checks conducted.
The IOPC recommends Cleveland Police reviews its management systems for performance and training to ensure there are robust mechanisms in place to ensure staff comply with all mandatory training packages, while ensuring performance reviews are carried out and maintained.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
I accept that this has been an organisational failing. As referenced above there have been a number of significant improvements made and the return of command and control of the staff to Cleveland police ensures that all staff have a PDR which is completed annually. Included in this should be any required training and CPD.
The IOPC recommends Cleveland Police assesses whether there is a general problem with the manner in which emails are used internally or whether it is particular to individual members of staff. If appropriate, staff should be reminded of the manner in which emails are compiled and reminded that such communication can be disclosed to third parties when it meets the required disclosure test.
Do you accept the recommendation?
No
Cleveland Police proactively monitor all communication and have key words included within this. I do not believe that there is any requirement for a review to be conducted in relation to this point as this has not been recognised in any of the other cases I have been made aware of and I will deal with the individual circumstances of this case.