Police integrity inspection programme
Part of: Police ethics and accountability
We inspect vetting, professional standards and counter-corruption arrangements in police forces in England and Wales. We do this as part of our regular assessment of police integrity.
All police forces inspected in this programme now receive separate graded judgments for vetting, professional standards and counter-corruption.
The questions that make up the integrity programme don’t remain the same for each cycle of inspections. They must adapt to changing priorities and circumstances in policing.
2021/25 integrity programme
This programme began in 2021 with our assessment of forces’ vetting arrangements, and how they identify and tackle corruption. We inspected 34 forces and published their reports.
In autumn 2023, we paused this rolling inspection programme and developed an integrity inspection programme that also examines force professional standards.
Terms of reference
In this cycle of inspections, we address the following questions:
- How effectively does the force vet its officers and staff?
- How effectively does the force promote high standards of behaviour in its workforce?
- How effectively does the force identify, handle, and investigate potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour?
- Does the force hold police officers and staff accountable for their behaviour in a way that is proportionate, fair and consistent?
- How effectively does the force protect the information it holds?
- How effectively does the force tackle corruption (including potential corruption)?
Our methodology for 2021/25
Our integrity programme was developed to inspect policing in relation to vetting arrangements, public complaints and police conduct, as well as tackling corruption. It was developed following external consultation.
Read the methodology: Police integrity inspection programme – 2021/25
Previous inspections and reports
When we paused our programme for assessing forces’ vetting arrangements, and how they identify and tackle corruption there were nine forces still to be inspected. The pause allowed for the development of the new integrity inspection programme, including force professional standards.
The nine forces that hadn’t been inspected for vetting and counter-corruption were the first to have integrity inspections. There was no change to the vetting and counter-corruption methodology for these forces. This was to ensure fairness against those forces previously inspected in the programme. Of those nine forces, we have published:
- A report into the effectiveness of integrity arrangements in Lincolnshire Police – January 2025
- A report into the effectiveness of integrity arrangements in Derbyshire Constabulary – January 2025
- A report into the effectiveness of integrity arrangements in North Yorkshire Police – January 2025
The remaining forces have all been inspected and our findings will be published later this year. These forces are:
- Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary
- Surrey Police
- Sussex Police
- Wiltshire Police
- Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- Devon and Cornwall Police
Integrity programme for 2025 onwards
We will begin this cycle of inspections in summer 2025. We have updated the terms of reference and methodology and you can find these below.
To develop the methodology we consulted stakeholders across government, including:
- the National Police Chiefs’ Council;
- the Independent Office for Police Conduct;
- the College of Policing;
- Home Office; and
- other non-statutory agencies.
We have also considered the changing landscape of policing and police priorities.
Terms of reference for 2025 onwards
In this cycle of inspections, we address the following questions:
- How effectively does the force manage its vetting arrangements for those working in or with policing?
- How effectively does the force promote high standards of behaviour in its workforce?
- How effectively does the force identify, handle, and investigate potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour?
- Does the force hold police officers and staff accountable for their behaviour in a way that is proportionate, fair and consistent?
- How effectively does the force protect its IT systems from misuse?
- How effectively does the force tackle police corruption and manage corruption-related intelligence?
Methodology for 2025 onwards
Read the methodology: Police integrity inspection programme – 2025 onwards