Police Staff Misconduct Policy
1. Statement of Policy
Public confidence in the police depends on police staff demonstrating the highest level of personal professional standards of behaviour. Those standards reflect the expectations that the police service and the public have of how police staff should behave.
Dyfed-Powys Police is committed to ensuring that all staff comply with Police Staff - Standards of Professional Behaviour. A breach of these standards may damage confidence in the police service and could lead to disciplinary action, which in serious cases may result in dismissal.
Applies (but not limited) to: All categories of Dyfed-Powys Police officers and staff, whether full-time, part-time, permanent, fixed term, temporary (including agency staff, associates and contractors), seconded staff and volunteers. Police Officers, staff and volunteers accessing and using Force assets and property must have due regard to the contents of this policy.
2. Policy Scope
The aim of the Police Staff Misconduct Policy is to:
- Provide a fair, open and proportionate method of dealing with alleged misconduct by police staff.
- Ensure that any disciplinary action is applied consistently and in a timely manner. It is not primarily a punitive process but one designed to improve conduct and performance.
- Encourage a culture of learning and development for staff.
- Encourage a culture of learning and development for the organisation
3. Powers and Policy/Legal Requirements
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Police Staff Misconduct Procedure document.
Related legislation, policies, procedures and guidance include:
Internal:
- Attendance Management Policy
- Performance Management Policy
- Management of Police Staff Probationers Policy
External:
- College of Policing - Code of Ethics
- Equality Act 2010
- Employment Relations Act 1999
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Employment Rights Act 1996
- Police Reform Act 2002
- Police Barred and Advisory List Regulations 2017
- Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR
- Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 (as amended by the Employment Act 1989)
- Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.
- Police Staff Council Handbook 2021
4. Options and Contingencies
The Police Staff Misconduct policy and procedure is available to all staff – the policy and procedure documents clearly and comprehensively set out the relevant expectations of staff and the levels of responsibility and decision making requirements.
The Code of Ethics principles apply to this policy and procedure -
- Courage
- Respect and Empathy
- Public Service
5. Take action and review
This policy is owned by the Professional Standards Department. The review process will be conducted by the Professional Standards Senior Manager on a biennial basis to ensure the continued effectiveness of the policy and taking into account any changes to legislation and national guidance.
The effectiveness of the policy will be monitored on a regular basis over and above the two-year review period and any major concerns will be escalated as appropriate. The aim of reviewing the effectiveness also includes reviewing awareness by measuring the number of queries directed at the Department with regards to the Police Staff Misconduct process. Key stakeholders and any staff engaging the policy will be able to provide feedback on the policy which will be duly considered.
Changes in legislation or national guidance from the Police Staff Council may necessitate a review of the policy content.
This policy and the associated procedure document will be overseen by the Joint Negotiating and Consultative Committee.
CODE OF ETHICS CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Code of Ethics and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Code and the principles underpinning it.
HUMAN RIGHTS ACT CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Human Rights Act and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Act and the principles underpinning it.
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 sets out the protected characteristics that qualify for protection under the Act as follows: Age; Disability; Gender Reassignment; Marriage and Civil Partnership; Pregnancy and Maternity; Race; Religion or Belief; Sex; Sexual Orientation.
The public sector equality duty places a proactive legal requirement on public bodies to have regard, in the exercise of their functions, to the need to:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is unlawful under the Act;
- advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
- foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
The equality duty applies to all protected characteristics with the exception of Marriage and Civil Partnership, to which only the duty to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination applies.
Carrying out an equality impact assessment involves systematically assessing the likely or actual effects of policies on people in respect of all the protected characteristics set out above. An equality impact assessment should be carried out on any policy that is relevant to the public sector equality duty.
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMPLETED: June 2025