Thames Valley Police must do more to tackle corruption risk, says watchdog

Thames Valley Police must do better at cracking down on potential corruption within the force, an inspection has said.

It found TVP had kept an officer in post who had a known criminal associate in the area; and the force ‘wasn’t thorough enough’ when investigating allegations that a sergeant had shared child sexual abuse images.

Inspectors also discovered weaknesses in how the force was handling the register of personnel who may pose a risk of sexual misconduct.

“The force may be missing opportunities to effectively tackle corruption. This could put the public at risk,” wrote HMICFRS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services), which assesses the effectiveness of police and fire services. In its latest inspection, TVP was ranked ‘Requires improvement’ for tackling potential corruption.

In one serious case, the force had reliable intelligence that a special constabulary sergeant had shared child sexual abuse images.

The counter-corruption unit arrested the officer, but the investigation ‘wasn’t thorough enough’ and there wasn’t enough evidence to consider a prosecution. HMICFRS said the force ‘should have acted more promptly and decisively’.

Responding, TVP said it ‘followed the procedures at the time’ for dealing with cases like these and says the special sergeant no longer holds a role within TVP.

HMICFRS inspectors also found there were weaknesses in how the force was handling information about officers posing a ‘sexual-related corruption risk’.

Officers believed to pose a risk of sexually inappropriate behaviour linked to their role should be placed on a sexual risk register. But inspectors found five cases where TVP had not listed personnel when it ‘would have been appropriate’.

They also found two cases where someone had been removed from the sexual risk register ‘without any clear rationale’. TVP says it ‘previously held a different position to that recommended by HMICFRS’ on this.

The watchdog further criticised how TVP deals with ‘notifiable associations’ — relationships officers must declare, which can include those with people who have a criminal record.

In one case, an officer was posted to an area in which a known criminal associate was living. Even after this was flagged, the officer remained in post. This was ‘disappointing’ given that criminal associations are one of the main corruption risks, HMICFRS said.

TVP says that risk assessment did take place and ‘the risks were deemed manageable’.

There were also concerns from HMICFRS regarding substance abuse vulnerabilities.

TVP policy allows random drug testing of some police staff. However, at the time of the inspection, the force did not carry out any.

“This was surprising as the force had identified substance misuse as one of its main corruption risks,” wrote HMICFRS.

A spokesperson for TVP said: “We view the use of illegal drugs by anyone employed [here] as a cause for serious concern, and work to tackle this remains an ongoing priority.

“While random drug testing is one option, we have had a positive result through more targeted testing.”

The watchdog also found problems with the force’s register of gifts. Most gifts to police are from grateful members of the public, but there are rules about what can be accepted.

HMICFRS found TVP had approved items that go against its own policy, including alcohol.

They said the process for monitoring this was ‘ineffective’.

TVP says it has since reissued its guidance on this to ensure TVP employees are clear on what type of gifts are permitted.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said the force remains ‘unequivocal’ in its commitment to improve, and noted positive changes highlighted in the report, including the transparency of TVP’s misconduct process.