South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner responds to ‘Good’ HMIC grade

HMIC report on how South Wales Police tackles corruption and vetting

South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael has welcomed a finding of “Good” for the effectiveness with which South Wales Police tackles corruption and vetting following a detailed inspection by HM Inspector of Constabulary.  

A total of 12 forces were inspected with South Wales being one of two forces being graded as ‘good’.

The inspection looked at how effectively police forces carry out vetting of its officers and staff, how effectively it protects information and data it holds, and also how well corruption is dealt with.

South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael, said: “The award of a ‘Good’ grade is very encouraging and I know that it is a result of lots of focus and hard work - it is no coincidence that some aspects of the South Wales Police vetting procedures have been shared as best practice by the National Police Counter Corruption Advisory Group

“These issues are so important and they will never go away totally, which is why achieving a high standard is enormously important and in the public interest.

“The Chief Constable and I both take the view that there is no room for complacency where tackling corruption is concerned so that work and commitment will continue, but it is also important for the public also to hear about the positive progress and good performance that is being achieved.  The damage caused by those who do wrong within the police service is enormous and it erodes public trust in the service as a whole, so weeding out those bad actors already in the organisation and preventing such people from joining in the first place is vital – and that’s why the inspection of this work by HMIC is enormously helpful.

“A report of this sort is extremely valuable for each Police and Crime Commissioner by pointing to areas for improvement and enabling us to work with the Chief Constable, on behalf of the public, to seek continuous improvement towards the highest possible standards.  It enables us to recognise progress and success so that we give a balanced picture to the communities across South Wales who depend on having the best possible police service, held to the highest standards.”