No prosecutions for police corruption in Gwent despite 56 complaints

12:10am Sunday 10th March 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By David Deans, Reporter

NO police officers in Wales have been prosecuted for police corruption over the last four years despite many complaints, according to a Welsh opposition party.

Plaid Cymru said Wales’ four forces including Gwent have revealed that none of their officers have ended up in court after internal inquiries found them culpable.

Gwent Police said it investigates all allegations thoroughly.

Gwent Police received 56 complaints between April 2008 and December of last year, which resulted in two being proven, according to information obtained by Plaid through the Freedom of Information Act.

The force took disciplinary action in two cases but did not prosecute. Three cases are classed as ongoing.

The number of allegations was dwarfed, however, by those at Dyfed-Powys police. The Mid and West Wales force recorded 141 allegations of irregularity in evidence or perjury, 80 allegations of improper disclosure over the period and 36 allegations of corrupt practice.

A total of 16 complaints were upheld but the force did not discipline the officers.

South Wales Police received 57 complaints, with one resulting in disciplinary action, while North Wales Police had 14 complaints.

Rhdori Glyn Thomas AM, Plaid's Assembly spokesperson on policing, said it was deeply concerning that no Welsh officers have been prosecuted after being found guilty of corrupt practice in the eyes of their employers.

“It is very important that the police are not placed above the law and immune from the consequences of any wrongdoing,” he said.

A Gwent Police spokesman said: "Gwent Police endeavours to provide the best possible service to the public, and as such we demand the highest standards from our officers and staff.

“When the force receives allegations of corruption, the nature and seriousness of the allegations will dictate whether it meets the criteria for a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. This is set out in legislation and national guidance.

"Irrespective of whether there is a mandatory referral to the IPCC, all allegations are investigated thoroughly and impartially by the professional standards department.

Comments(20)

KarmaSuitsYa says...
8:50am Sun 10 Mar 13

Ah, yet more self serving corrupt scum feeding at the public trough.

Makes me proud to be British... no wait, that doesn't sound right...

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davidcp says...
10:14am Sun 10 Mar 13

We haven't defined here what 'corrupt' means. Does it include/exclude expense claims, Rhodri???

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jerymp says...
10:18am Sun 10 Mar 13

Before everyone starts jumping to conclusions remember that it`s quite easy to lodge a complaint about the police and also the fact that the vast majority of the people who the police have to deal with are not exactly the cream of society noted for their honesty and sense of public duty.

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Trefor says...
11:33am Sun 10 Mar 13

The Fact remains that EVERY POLICE OFFICER IN WALES, has ` done his duty` without FEAR OR FAVOUR.

Can that actually be correct?, or is the system of self serving scrutiny fails every Welsh Citizen

Let wait and see how they all perform under the scrutiny of the new elected Commissioners, those Commissioners will be judged at their next election by the satisfaction, or not, of the electorate, the police, in the meantime, can act as they like without any PUBLIC scrutiny, but have to aware that their behaviour is now under greater examination that ever before, or is it?

In Gwent two ex-senior police officers ho are the Commissioner and his Deputy should be able to tell us.

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jerymp says...
12:48pm Sun 10 Mar 13

"The Fact remains that EVERY POLICE OFFICER IN WALES, has ` done his duty` without FEAR OR FAVOUR."
Where does it say that Trefor?

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ex-St. Julians boy says...
3:38pm Sun 10 Mar 13

Of course individual corrupt officers haven't been called to account. This is because the police as an institution are corrupt and they look after their own.

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Lunkhed says...
3:39pm Sun 10 Mar 13

How many journalists at South Wales Argus have been prosecuted for corruption in the last four years?

None - that's deeply concerning.

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gadget says...
3:52pm Sun 10 Mar 13

If we are talking about corruption lets start with the local crime figures for 2012 , did anyone see them ? what a joke ,

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The_Vulcan says...
4:26pm Sun 10 Mar 13

They all look after there own.

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rightsideup says...
6:03pm Sun 10 Mar 13

The_Vulcan wrote:
They all look after there own.
Do you mean 'their'?.

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Daddy Fats says...
6:46pm Sun 10 Mar 13

what about what happened to a family in pill, pepper spraying women, kicking kids when there on the floor, filmed by about 30 people,corrupt joke

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Anne teak says...
7:41pm Sun 10 Mar 13

Everyone knows the reputation of the Gwent Police.

Who could forget the video if the police washing a pensioner's car windscreen?

Complaints should always be investigated by another force.

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Donalds says...
10:01pm Sun 10 Mar 13

US DoD study on random polygraphs for personnel. http://t.co/Tr7uafTd

"the polygraph is the single most effective tool for finding information people were trying to hide." - DoD, NSA

RANDOM. Break the code. Break the culture.

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Dai the Milk says...
10:40pm Sun 10 Mar 13

Anne teak wrote:
Everyone knows the reputation of the Gwent Police.

Who could forget the video if the police washing a pensioner's car windscreen?

Complaints should always be investigated by another force.
He should have been given an award for washing his or her windscreen.

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33daverave says...
10:53pm Sun 10 Mar 13

They've also had a good few negligent discharges.Canteen and Volvos spring to mind.

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Trefor says...
8:53am Mon 11 Mar 13

JERYMP-

The report makes it clear, ( though I don`t believe it either) that no police officer has erred in respect to their public duty, therefore one has to conclude that all police officers in Wales have done their duty?

Yes? No?

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jerymp says...
10:30am Mon 11 Mar 13

A few of you sound as if you`ve had dealings with the police at sometime.
Speeding? No seat belt? **** and looking for trouble? Shoplifting?or just being a regular pain in the arse.

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regaturn says...
1:17pm Mon 11 Mar 13

It is incredibly easy to make a false complaint against the police, more often than not without any fear of repercussions against the complainant. Whilst some complaints may be genuine, most complaints are made by the scum of society-fact

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The Red Claw says...
3:13pm Mon 11 Mar 13

At any one time there are a number of ex-coppers serving time in prison for all sorts of crime. In most cases they were put there by their former colleagues who apparently did not ‘look after their own’ in these particular cases.
Most allegations of corruption tend to be instigated by criminals and ‘wrongdoers’, who have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying to undermine any criminal case or prosecution against them in any way they can, including indulging in mud-slinging exercises.
That said ‘Corruption’ does exist but is a very fearful matter to most senior coppers because to thrive, corruption requires poor management, ineffective leadership and lack of discipline. They therefore fear that their own short comings may be exposed should a corruption case dig too deeply. It is no surprise that there have not been any prosecutions for corruption as the main overall priority of the police is to maintain public confidence, even though they can let themselves down badly on this front from time to time. It is highly likely therefore that cops guilty of what we may call ‘corruption’ are very often dealt with for more minor matters such as thieving, drug abuse or fraud, which are far simpler to prove and attract less adverse publicity than any whiff of corruption conspiracy. Those matters that do reach the court and the public arena, do not of course include those who are offered a ‘deal’ to quietly resign without facing criminal charges and gaining a criminal record. (This way of dealing with corruption costs far less as well and has the added appeal of preventing embarrassing issues publicly coming to light).

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Police Chief David Couper says...
3:31pm Mon 11 Mar 13

Police corruption hurts everyone -- including police. Find out why, follow my blog at http://improvingpoli
ce.wordpress.com.

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