Chief Constable Scott Chilton responds to national Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls – Policing Performance and Insights Publication

Statement by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary Chief Constable, Scott Chilton in response to the National Police Chiefs' Council and College of Policing's Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls – Policing Performance and Insights Publication

“Recent horrific events involving serving police officers have damaged public trust and confidence in the police family. To restore this, our words must be matched by our actions, every single day.

“The findings published in yesterday's Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls – Policing Performance and Insights Publication report (14 March) are shocking to hear. They are a powerful reminder that there is still a long way to go to root out those who abuse their position for their own purpose. They don’t deserve to hold the privileged position we have in society.

“The published figures show where policing was over a year ago. We have made significant improvements in setting and maintaining standards but as the new chief constable I am clear that there is much more to do. We will not stop until those who continue to abuse their position of trust, who continue to place a dark cloud over policing, are removed from their roles and removed from our local communities.

“In force, we have robust processes in place for people to report improper conduct, criminal allegations and concerns. We know that will likely mean further reports of police-perpetrated offences, but that also means our communities and our workforce can have confidence to report matters to us. We will see more investigations being conducted, more people that don’t belong within policing being held to account, and for them to face robust sanctions – whether that be dismissal for gross misconduct or criminal action taken against them for the crimes and offences they have committed.

“In the same way that we want to be relentless in the pursuit of criminals, we also want to create a hostile environment for those within our own workforce who commit such acts. No-one can be exempt. It corrupts policing. It corrupts public confidence. It corrupts the good intent of the overwhelming majority of my officers that demonstrate exemplary behaviour every day.

“There is no place in policing for anyone who exploits or abuses the unique position of trust that we hold. We do not tolerate this type of predatory behaviour – whether it is officers or staff within our ranks, or members of the public on the streets or within homes across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. I am committed to not only creating an environment that is safe, but also feels safe. Anyone who intends to behave in this way and commit these offences will be found, will be stopped, and will be robustly dealt with.”