‘Duty Of Candour’ Is Nothing New

The new Government requirement for officers to have ‘a duty of candour’ is something officers are already doing as part of their Standards of Professional Behaviour, Hampshire Police Federation has said.

The Government recently signed the Hillsborough Charter, which includes a duty of candour for policing being required by law, holding policing to the highest of standards. Chief Constables must ensure officers act with openness and speak up on behalf of victims.

But Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said that police officers were already held to the highest of standards.

She said: “What’s come out in this report is obviously not anything we’d ever want to see happen again. But a lot has changed since Hillsborough.

“I also think ‘duty of candour’ is not the best phrase, because it’s subjective, it can mean different things to different people. We should just say that Chief Constables must ensure their officers act with openness, honesty and integrity. That’s already within our standards of professional behaviour.”