By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
Councillors questioned how residents’ confidence in Nottinghamshire Police could be improved after a recent survey found it had dipped.
A Police and Crime Survey found public confidence has dropped by 1.3 per cent in the space of a year, with 58.5 per cent of people surveyed having confidence in the force.
Concerns were raised by one councillor that there was “a crisis of confidence by women” in policing following the death of Sarah Everard, who in March 2021 was kidnapped in South London and later murdered by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.
After the murder, investigations were launched by the police watchdog into previous incidents of indecent exposure allegedly committed by Couzens, also said to have been committed while he was a serving police officer.
Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Craig Guildford, spoke at a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday, March 28, to reassure local councillors that local officers found guilty of misconduct were removed from the organisation.
From March 2021 to March 2022, six police officers and staff were dismissed from the force for gross misconduct including concerns over honesty and integrity, confidentiality, or improper conduct.
Eleven former police officers and staff were also told they ‘would have been dismissed’ following a hearing into their behaviour.
Cllr Linda Woodings (Lab), ward councillor for Basford at Nottingham City Council, said at the meeting: “There is a serious crisis of confidence by women in the police and actions they took, not just following Sarah Everard but also other incidents that have come to light.
“I know we have a case published here in Nottingham from November 2020 where an officer lost his job immediately for gross misconduct for effectively exchanging messages of a personal and sexual nature with a vulnerable woman that he has encountered during the course of his work as a police officer.”
Mr Guildford responded: “Transparency is the key. If you go on our website, you can see everyone that I have sacked.
“We have a really strong approach. We exit anyone who has let the public or organisation down. Believe me and you, it is top of my priority list.
“Everyone we have dealt with has gone on the barred list. The barred list is the list that is to make sure people cannot return to policing.
“A finding for a gross misconduct hearing is not a criminal conviction. However, if someone applies for another job, they have got to come back to us as the employer and then we get into reference territory.
“The safeguards are there. It stops people trying to return to another force for example or local authority partner.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry (Cons) said 16 hearings were heard last year and only three were not held in public due to a number of reasons.
Cllr Helen-Ann Smith (Ashfield Independents) said: “The panel notes the deterioration in the number of people that have confidence in the police citing particular areas where confidence had been high.
“Have you done any analysis to identify where there are any particular groups that lack confidence in places and try and understand why and if so, what plans do you have to target confidence in these groups?”
Mrs Henry responded: “We have started with the analysis is the honest answer. We need to do more and have more confidence. People need to feel safe, and I will absolutely follow that up.”
Cllr Rob Inglis (Cons) added: “We have got a good police force. There is a culture out there that blame the police for everything.
“We had the incident with Wayne Couzens and after that every police officer was a potential sex offender and bad apple and that is across the country for the actions of one person.
“We have got some very good professional police officers that work with integrity and professionalism and I can say that with knowledge.”
