A NEW Code of Ethics has been welcomed by both the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent and the Chief Constable of Gwent Police Force.

The Code of Ethics produced by the College of Policing, was laid before parliament last week and sets out and defines the exemplary standards of behaviour expected of everyone who works in policing.

The Code of Ethics will apply to more than 220,000 officers, police staff, contractors and volunteers working in policing in the UK.

It sets out the standards of behaviour that the public can expect from officers and staff at every role and at every level and will help guide decision making.

The code comes after the College of Policing was granted new powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to set codes of practice for police.

Welcoming the Code of Ethics, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Ian Johnston, said: “We fully support the new code of ethics. We have been doing a lot of work internally to make sure every single officer and member of staff understands the professional standards we require of them at all times.”

In law chief constables must have regard to codes of practice.

Gwent Police Chief Constable, Jeff Farrar, added: “The launch of the code will help the public understand the level of service they can and should expect from us.”

To learn more about the Code of Ethics log on to college.police.uk/en/20972.htm