Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard has praised the Professional Standards Department (PSD) at Bedfordshire Police.
The feedback came after a recent first visit to meet the team.
The PCC met with Chief Superintendent Will Hodgkinson, Head of the PSD and spoke to members of the department.
The PCC said “High professional standards are essential in every public service and indeed in the business and social sectors, they are even more important in policing because of the duties and responsibilities of the police, and the relationship of police officers to the public.
“The police must and do deal with enforcing the law impartially, without favour and in sensitive circumstances. They must be above suspicion.
“We must not allow a few cases in our police service and some high-profile cases from other police services to tarnish or undermine public confidence and trust.
“My police and crime plan will stress the importance of maintaining the highest standards of behaviour, conduct and professional practice.
“One of my core missions is for excellence in policing and the police service. We must always have the trust and confidence of the public.
“Having visited the PSD, I am very impressed by the professionalism of the department and its commitment to support the Bedfordshire police service, and our partner services in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.”
In the last 12 months nine officers have been dismissed or would have faced dismissal had they not already resigned, following findings their conduct had amounted to gross misconduct.
He further commented: “I am very pleased that the Bedfordshire Chief Constable and DCC take this objective very seriously and expect very high standards with zero tolerance of poor conduct by any officer or member of staff. They have my absolute support in this and the actions which they take.
“I am reassured that every member of staff and officers are regularly vetted. As PCC, my deputy PCC and I have voluntarily submitted ourselves for vetting even though surprisingly there is no legal requirement for us to do so.
“I regularly am briefed on issues relating the application of Bedfordshire’s policies and practices in respect of the maintenance of professional standards.
“I would encourage people to speak up and report misconduct – we owe this to each other and to the public.”
One of the key missions within the upcoming Police and Crime Plan is the PCC’s commitment to deliver an excellent police service that maintains the highest standards. You can have your say on what you think should be prioritised within the plan which is due to be published in the autumn in the PCC’s consultation survey.
If you’d like anymore information, contact the PCC’s office by emailing pcc@beds.police.uk