Police pension may be cut for corruption

Police officers who commit serious cases of misconduct may face the risk of losing their pension.

07:02 02 July 2013

A group of influential MPs want corrupt police officers to get punished by reducing the amount of their pension in their bid to improve ethics within the service. This will apply to police officers who have committed serious misconduct.

Home Affairs Select Committee recommended that a scale of fines be established in order to properly deal with corrupt police officers. The Committee wants a new code of ethics to be established and recommended that new officers have to obtain a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing.

Keith Vaz, Home Affairs Select Committee chair, said: "Broken systems of accountability and a patchwork of police standards and training have allowed a minority of officers to get away with corruption and incompetence which is blighting an otherwise excellent service with dedicated officers."

He added: "The days of Dixon of Dock Green are over. The new landscape of policing requires a new type of police officer ready to meet the new challenges. Honesty, integrity and transparency are essential components of the policing DNA."

Recommendations were made after reports that undercover officers spied on Stephen Lawrence’s family after he was murdered. Currently, there are at least eight allegations made against police officers and investigations have so far cost the government at least  £23 million.