Information on vetting procedures

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.035896

I note you seek access to the following information:

• How many total police officers do you have serving? Please provide the number and percentage of serving police officers who have failed re-vetting procedures in the last five years. How many of these officers are still serving even though they have failed re-vetting?
• For the last three years, please provide as many examples as is financially possible of the following: The rationale provided for rejecting vetting clearance for officers in relation to adverse information recorded as Violence Against Women and Girls-related. In each example, I would like a copy of the report made in rejecting vetting clearance, or as much of it as possible.
• Does your force conduct face-to-face interviews (not including through audio/video telecommunications) as part of the vetting process?
• Does your force check the content on publically available social media to ensure that the applicant’s online behaviour is compatible with the Code of Ethics or Standards of Professional Behaviour, as part of the vetting process?
• Please provide the average time between a police officer’s initial vetting and re-vetting in your police force.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 40(2)(3)- Personal Information

Reason for decision

Section 40 - Personal Information - In respect of your question asking to provide rationale for rejecting vetting applications, providing this would lead to the risk of identification of persons involved and therefore I have exempted this information under Section 40.

S40 are absolute exemptions which means that the legislators have identified that harm would be caused by any release. In addition there is no requirement to consider the public interest test.

Disclosure

Please find the disclosed answers to your questions below, please note all times APP are cited, it is referring to the vetting policy on the College of Policing website which can be found below:

College of Policing - Vetting Code of Practice

How many total police officers do you have serving?

As of 20 February 2024 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) employed 34,842 Police Officers.

Please provide the number and percentage of serving police officers who have failed re-vetting procedures in the last five years. How many of these officers are still serving even though they have failed re-vetting?

You cannot Police if you fail your Re-Vetting and subsequent appeals.

53 Police Officers have had their vetting withdrawn whilst serving. 30 of these are currently subject to appeals and a further 12 have had their appeals dismissed but are awaiting a hearing under performance regulations. 11 have exited the organisation after decisions have been made (resigned/retired/dismissed). Due to the varying nature of Police Officer numbers (Leavers, Joiners, Retirements) we are unable to provide an accurate percentage as you have requested over a 3 year period. Part of this is due to Operation Assure. In April 2023 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) became the first force to implement a new process, known as Operation Assure, for reviewing the vetting of serving officers and staff where concerns have been identified regarding their behaviour.

Does your force conduct face-to-face interviews (not including through audio/video telecommunications) as part of the vetting process?

Yes, As per APP- 8.26.3 the interview may be conducted on a face-to-face basis or by telecommunications (either audio or video).

Does your force check the content on publically available social media to ensure that the applicant’s online behaviour is compatible with the Code of Ethics or Standards of Professional Behaviour, as part of the vetting process?

Yes As per APP - 7.22.25 Forces should check content on publically available social media sites for the purposes of service reputational reassurance, and to ensure that the applicant’s online behaviour is compatible with the Code of Ethics or Standards of Professional Behaviour.

Please provide the average time between a police officer’s initial vetting and re-vetting in your police force.

Renewal periods vary for the type of vetting a Police Officer holds, please see below the type of vetting and the renewal periods:

• RV 10 years
• CTC (for police personnel) 10 years
• CTC (for non-police personnel) 5 years
• MV 7 years
• SC (for police personnel) 10 years
• SC (for non-police personnel) 5 years
• DV 7 years
• NPPV1 up to 3 years
• NPPV2 (abbreviated) 3 years
• NPPV2 (full) 3 years NPPV3 7 years

However, vetting may be reviewed at any time for a variety of reasons, for example, change of personal circumstances