By Samantha Jones-
The College of Policing says it has unveiled a new code of ethic that supports everyone in policing to “deliver a service that is fair, ethical and can be trusted to make decisions in the interest of keeping people safe”.
It said the new code reflects the challenges of modern-day policing and supports all officers and staff to do the right things, in the right way and for the right reasons.
The Code of Ethics will work alongside a separate statutory Code of Practice for Ethical Policing, which was launched in December and sets out the actions that chief officers should take to support people in their force to use the ethical policing principles and to demonstrate professional behaviour.
The code is a progressive extension of the one before.
The police force has long has a poor record for honourable policing, dampening public opinion about its integrity .
However, the police perform an important duty to society of keeping people safe.
The Code of Ethics, which was launched on Wednesday (January 24), sets out the sense of public service, respect and empathy and courage that everyone in policing uses to protect the public.
It outlines how policing will work with the public and is designed to support officers and staff who “want to do a brilliant job for their community”, the college said.
It displaces the previous version published more than a decade ago, and reduces the previous nine policing principles into three, which are easier to use and understand:
It highlights the importance of learning from the outcome of past behaviours and situations while setting out what good policing looks like, including being open, honest, and candid; fairness and respect and decision making.
It also includes recognizing the opportunity to learn; challenging unprofessional behaviour; including when behaviour does not meet expectations.
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, College of Policing’s director of Operational Standards, said: “Police officers and staff join the service to keep the public safe and protect them from criminals.
The new Code of Ethics is about supporting everyone in policing to deliver this with courage, respect, and empathy and with public service at the heart of all decisions”
The code is hosted on the College of Policing website and has been developed by serving police officers, police staff, academics, and representatives from partner organizations.
It is based on evidence and first-hand experience to make sure everyone working in policing, including staff and volunteers, feels fully supported within their roles.
Mr Harding added: “We’ve now got three simple and easy to use principles that will help us all to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.
“The Code of Ethics will support officers and staff operating in a fast-paced environment, making split-second decisions which can have an enormous effect on people’s lives.
“Using the new code will support officers through their decision-making.