PRESS RELEASE : MDP launch new anonymous reporting line for officers and staff [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 6 February 2023.
On 6 February, the MDP Professional Standards Department will be launching a Crimestoppers Police Integrity Line.
As the experts in speaking up about crime and wrongdoing, Crimestoppers are working with organisations such as the MDP to improve crime prevention and detection, as well as protect their staff and communities.
It can be difficult to come forward with information. Often people don’t know what to do, or are scared to say anything, especially in the working environment when an issue involves their colleagues – but Crimestoppers offer a safe way to do this.
MDP officers and staff can now telephone the Crimestoppers Police Integrity Line, safely and anonymously. This service is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is specifically designed to protect the caller’s identity.
A Crimestoppers operator will record the information from the caller and pass it on to the Professional Standards Department to further investigate.
Head of the MDP Professional Standards Department, Temporary Superintendent Karryann Rogers, joined the MDP in July 2022 after serving with Cambridgeshire Constabulary for 30 years and retiring from their Professional Standards Department as a Detective Chief Inspector.
Temporary Superintendent Rogers said:
This new reporting line is part of a bigger piece of work being undertaken by the MDP to set up its own Anti-Corruption Unit.
The reporting line is a safe avenue for officers and staff to anonymously report any misconduct within the Force. We all need to be ‘doing our bit’ in calling out bad behaviour and reporting any wrongdoing, after all the Police Regulations make it quite clear that we have a duty to challenge and report.
It is an opportunity for us to improve our working conditions and to establish better processes for dealing with bad behaviour. We want to make the MDP a great place to work and a safe space for individuals to speak up when they feel they have been mistreated.
In the past, individuals may have felt that they weren’t being listened to, or that they did not have the confidence in previous systems to report any wrongdoing. This new reporting line is 100% anonymous, guaranteed by Crimestoppers, who are specially trained to protect the caller’s identity.
The new reporting line also supports the MDP’s work to achieve White Ribbon Accreditation and its commitment to stamping out violence against women and girls (VAWG).
MDP Assistant Chief Constable Territorial, Crime and Support, Jason Gwillim said:
The MDP is committed to creating an inclusive culture where all our officers and staff enjoy coming to work without fear of being the victims of bad behaviour. We hope that by introducing systems such as this new reporting line, we can not only deal with corruption more effectively but prevent it from happening in the first place.
The Police Integrity Line is a big step for the Force, in making real lasting change to eradicate corruption within the Force and protect our officers and staff. By bringing the issue to the forefront, we might be able to encourage perpetrators to recognise their behaviour and stop.
