Dear Mr Moore

Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2012020003154
I write in connection with your request for information  which was
received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 21/02/2012.  I note
you seek access to the following information:

 "1.     Commander Julian Bennett – HR6 (conduct hearings chair);  

  1) How many gross misconduct hearings has he presided over since June
2010?    

2) How many of those have resulted in dismissal of an officer?  

 3) How many hearings have been heard in that period by alternative  AC PO
ranks Within the MPS?  

4) How many of these have resulted in dismissal of an officer?    

     2.     Misconduct hearings within the MPS.  

     1) From what date did Commander Julian Bennett take responsibility
 as the dedicated conduct hearings chair for the MPS.    

2) Please provide the number of hearings in the 24 months prior to  this
date    

 3) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer was
dismissed.  

  4) Please provide the number of hearings heard by Commander Bennett
 from his taking responsibility as hearings chair to January 2012.    

5) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer  was
dismissed .
       

   3.  

 1) What is the average time between a decision to refer an officer  to a
misconduct hearing, and the hearing taking place? (Using     period Jan
2009 - Dec 31 2011 as a period.)  

  2) How many ACPO officers other than Commander Bennett have sat as
 chair in hearings since his taking responsibility as dedicated chair?    

3) How many ACPO officers are entitled to sit as conduct hearing chair
within the MPS? "

* 

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act).  You will receive a response within the
statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject to
the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party.  In some circumstances the MPS may be unable to achieve this
deadline.  If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet, which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact FOIA Team on telephone number 02071613640 quoting the reference
number above.

Yours sincerely

Peter Deja
Policy and Support Officer
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
discuss the decision with the case officer that dealt with your request.  

Ask to have the decision looked at again –

The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to
telephone the case officer that is nominated at the end of your decision
letter.

That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and
assist with any problems.

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Dear Mr Moore

Freedom of Information Request Reference No:  2012020003154

I write in connection with your request for information which was
received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 21/02/2012.  I note
you seek access to the following information:

·         1.     Commander Julian Bennett – HR6 (conduct hearings chair);
       
1) How many gross misconduct hearings has he presided over since June
2010?    
2) How many of those have resulted in dismissal of an officer?    
3) How many hearings have been heard in that period by alternative AC PO
ranks within the MPS?    
4) How many of these have resulted in dismissal of an officer?        

2.         Misconduct hearings within the MPS.        
1) From what date did Commander Julian Bennett take responsibility as the
dedicated conduct hearings chair for the MPS.    
2) Please provide the number of hearings in the 24 months prior to this
date    
3) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer was
dismissed.    
4) Please provide the number of hearings heard by Commander Bennett from
his taking responsibility as hearings chair to January 2012.    
5) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer was
dismissed        

3.        
1) What is the average time between a decision to refer an officer to a
misconduct hearing, and the hearing taking place? (Using     period Jan
2009 - Dec 31 2011 as a period.)    
2) How many ACPO officers other than Commander Bennett have sat as chair
in hearings since his taking responsibility as dedicated     chair?    
3) How many ACPO officers are entitled to sit as conduct hearing chair
within the MPS?

EXTENT OF SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted
at The Directorate of Professional Standards, The Misconduct Unit and
Commander Bennett's Office.

RESULT OF SEARCHES

The searches located records relevant to your request.

DECISION

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find attached information pursuant to your request above.

·         1.     Commander Julian Bennett – HR6 (conduct hearings chair);
       
1) How many gross misconduct hearings has he presided over since June
2010?    

A.  Commander Bennett has presided over 74 Hearings involving 90 officers
from June 2010 to February 2012

2) How many of those have resulted in dismissal of an officer?  

A.  56 officers have been dismissed from the MPS by Panels involving
Commander Bennett since June 2010 to February 2012

3) How many hearings have been heard in that period by alternative ACPO
ranks within the MPS?

A.There have been 110 hearings between the period June 2010 to Bebruary
2012.  They involved 130 officers.  Of the 110 hearings 11 were old
regulation Misconduct cases, 98 were Taylor Hearings and 1 was a Special
Case Hearing.

4) How many of these have resulted in dismissal of an officer?  

A. Of the 110 hearings 74 resulted in at least one officer being
dismissed.

2.         Misconduct hearings within the MPS.        
1) From what date did Commander Julian Bennett take responsibility as the
dedicated conduct hearings chair for the MPS.

A. 2nd August 2010

2) Please provide the number of hearings in the 24 months prior to this
date

A.  There have been 91 hearings between the period June 2008 to May 2010.
 They involved 98 officers.  Of the 91 hearings 60 were old regulation
Misconduct cases, 26 were Taylor Hearings and 5 were Special Case
Hearings.    

3) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer was
dismissed.

A..  Of the 91 hearings 29 resulted in at least one officer being
dismissed.    

4) Please provide the number of hearings heard by Commander Bennett from
his taking responsibility as hearings chair to January 2012.

A.  Commander Bennett has presided over 69 Hearings involving 85 officers
from August 2010 to January 2012

 5) Please provide the number of those hearings in which an officer was
dismissed

A.  51 officers have been dismissed from the MPS by Panels involving
Commander Bennett since August 2010 to January 2012

   
3.        

1) What is the average time between a decision to refer an officer to a
misconduct hearing, and the hearing taking place? (Using     period Jan
2009 - Dec 31 2011 as a period.)

A.  The average time from decision to hearing for old misconduct cases is
90 working days.  
Within the period January 2009 and December 2011 there were 45 hearings.  
Time taken from decision to hearing is based on the 'hearing proposed
date' to 'Hearing start date'.

The average time from decision to hearing for Taylor Hearings cases is 73
working days.  
Within the period January 2009 and December 2011 there were 113 hearings.
 
Time taken from decision to hearing is based on the 'final assessment
date' to 'Hearing start date'.

The average time from decision to hearing for Taylor Special Case Hearings
cases is 40 working days.  
Within the period January 2009 and December 2011 there were 6 hearings.  
Time taken from decision to hearing is based on the 'final assessment
date' to 'Hearing start date'.  

2) How many ACPO officers other than Commander Bennett have sat as chair
in hearings since his taking responsibility as dedicated     chair?

A.   10    

3) How many ACPO officers are entitled to sit as conduct hearing chair
within the MPS?

A.   20 including Commander Bennett

Points of Note

Police Conduct Regulations
From the 01 December 2008, the MPS, as did all police forces in England
and Wales, became subject to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008. These
regulations replaced the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004 and introduced
two defined levels of misconduct being 'Misconduct' and 'Gross
Misconduct'.  

Misconduct cases (where an allegation that a breach of the Standards of
Professional Behaviour has taken place is received) are managed by local
management (i.e. upon the borough or department where the officer is
based). The maximum outcome for a case of misconduct is a final written
warning. Line managers are responsible for dealing with misconduct at the
lowest level.

Gross Misconduct cases (where an allegation is received that a breach of
the Standards of Professional Behaviour has taken place that is so serious
that dismissal would be justified if proven) are managed by the
Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS). The maximum outcome for a
Gross Misconduct hearing is dismissal (Fines and reduction in rank are no
longer available under the Police Conduct Regulations 2008).

It is important to note that the number of Hearings is an extremely small
proportion in relation to the total number of officers and staff in the
MPS which is over 55,000. The vast majority of our officers and staff
carry out their service to Londoners in the manner the MPS and the public
expects.

Securing and maintaining the trust of the community is integral to the
principle of policing by consent and in order to do so, the MPS recognises
that its employees must act with professionalism and integrity whether on
or off duty. The MPS treats each occasion when an employee receives a
criminal conviction extremely seriously and will, in each instance, review
the suitability of that employee to continue to serve with the MPS. Each
case is judged upon its merits and where dismissal is deemed
inappropriate, the MPS will determine whether an alternative sanction is
justified. This review is undertaken in accordance with current
legislation and guidance. Any employee whose standard of behaviour is
proven to have fallen below the standards expected is robustly disciplined
by the MPS.

 
The MPS is committed to delivering a professional service of the highest
standard to the public and expects its employees to conduct themselves
professionally, ethically and with the utmost integrity at all times.  Any
instance where the conduct of our staff brings the MPS into disrepute is
treated extremely seriously by the MPS.

This notice concludes your request for information. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the MPS.

COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet which details your right of
complaint.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or contact Margaret Bunker on telephone number 02071616511 quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Bunker
Information Manager
In complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information, the
Metropolitan Police Service will not breach the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the
enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.  Applications
for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the
attached information should be addressed to MPS Directorate of Legal
Services, 1st Floor (Victoria Block), New Scotland Yard, Victoria, London,
SW1H 0BG.
COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
decision is incorrect?

You have the right to require the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to
review their decision.

Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
discuss the decision with the case officer that dealt with your request.  

Ask to have the decision looked at again –

The quickest and easiest way to have the decision looked at again is to
telephone the case officer that is nominated at the end of your decision
letter.

That person will be able to discuss the decision, explain any issues and
assist with any problems.

Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of
the MPS made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) regarding
access to information you can lodge a complaint with the MPS to have the
decision reviewed.

Complaints should be made in writing, within forty (40) working days from
the date of the refusal notice, and addressed to:

FOI Complaint
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF
[email address]

In all possible circumstances the MPS will aim to respond to your
complaint within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner

After lodging a complaint with the MPS if you are still dissatisfied with
the decision you may make application to the Information Commissioner for
a decision on whether the request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act.

For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
 Alternatively, phone or write to:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone:  01625 545 700

Total Policing is the Met's commitment to be on the streets and in your
communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are
here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

 

Consider our environment - please do not print this email unless
absolutely necessary.

NOTICE - This email and any attachments may be confidential, subject to
copyright and/or legal privilege and are intended solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error, please
notify the sender and delete it from your system.  To avoid incurring
legal liabilities, you must not distribute or copy the information in this
email without the permission of the sender. MPS communication systems are
monitored to the extent permitted by law.  Consequently, any email and/or
attachments may be read by monitoring staff. Only specified personnel are
authorised to conclude any binding agreement on behalf of the MPS by
email. The MPS accepts no responsibility for unauthorised agreements
reached with other employees or agents.  The security of this email and
any attachments cannot be guaranteed. Email messages are routinely scanned
but malicious software infection and corruption of content can still occur
during transmission over the Internet. Any views or opinions expressed in
this communication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

 

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