The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020

Procedure at accelerated misconduct hearing

61.—(1) The person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing must determine the procedure at the hearing and, in so far as it is set out in these Regulations, must determine it in accordance with these Regulations.

(2) The accelerated misconduct hearing must not proceed unless the officer concerned has been notified of the effect of regulation 8(1) to (3) in relation to an accelerated misconduct hearing.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), the person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing may from time to time adjourn the hearing if it appears to the person to be necessary or expedient to do so.

(4) The accelerated misconduct hearing must not, except in exceptional circumstances, be adjourned solely to allow the complainant or any interested person to attend.

(5) At the beginning of the accelerated misconduct hearing, the person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing must give the officer the opportunity to say whether or not the officer accepts that the officer’s conduct amounts to gross misconduct.

(6) No witnesses other than the officer concerned may give evidence at the accelerated misconduct hearing and the person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing must determine whether and by whom the officer concerned can be questioned.

(7) The person representing the appropriate authority may—

(a) address the hearing in order to do any or all of the following—

(i) put the case of the authority;

(ii) sum up that case;

(iii) respond on behalf of the authority to any view expressed at the accelerated misconduct hearing, and

(iv) make representations concerning any aspect of proceedings under these Regulations, and

(b) confer with the authority.

(8) The person representing the officer concerned may—

(a) address the hearing in order to do any or all of the following—

(i) put the case of the officer;

(ii) sum up that case;

(iii) respond on behalf of the officer to any view expressed at the accelerated misconduct hearing, and

(iv) make representations concerning any aspect of proceedings under these Regulations, and

(b) if the officer concerned is present at the accelerated misconduct hearing or is participating in it by video link or other means in accordance with regulation 57(2), confer with the officer.

(9) Where the person representing the officer concerned is a relevant lawyer, the police friend of the officer may also confer with the officer in the circumstances mentioned in paragraph (8)(b).

(10) The police friend or relevant lawyer of the officer concerned may not answer any questions asked of the officer during the accelerated misconduct hearing.

(11) The person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing may allow any document to be considered at the hearing notwithstanding that a copy of it has not been supplied—

(a) by the officer concerned to the appropriate authority in accordance with regulation 54, or

(b) to the officer in accordance with regulation 51(1).

(12) Where evidence is given or considered at the accelerated misconduct hearing that the officer concerned—

(a) on being questioned by an investigator, at any time after the officer was given written notice under regulation 17(1) of these Regulations or regulation 17(1) of the Complaints and Misconduct Regulations, or

(b) in submitting any information or by not submitting any information at all under regulation 54 (or, where paragraph 14 applies, regulation 18(1) or 31(2) or (3)) of these Regulations or under regulation 20 of the Complaints and Misconduct Regulations,

failed to mention, any fact relied on in the officer’s case at the accelerated misconduct hearing, being a fact which in the circumstances existing at the time, the officer could reasonably have been expected to mention when so questioned or when providing such information, paragraph (13) applies.

(13) Where this paragraph applies, the person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing may draw such inferences from the failure as appear proper.

(14) This paragraph applies where the case was certified as one where the special conditions are satisfied following a determination made under regulation 49(3), being a case where misconduct proceedings have been delayed by virtue of regulation 10(3).

(15) The person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing must review the facts of the case and decide whether or not the conduct of the officer concerned amounts to gross misconduct.

(16) The person conducting or chairing the accelerated misconduct hearing must not find that the conduct of the officer concerned amounts to gross misconduct unless—

(a) they are satisfied on the balance of probabilities that this is the case, or

(b) the officer admits it is the case.

(17) At an accelerated misconduct hearing conducted by a panel, any decision must be based on a majority but must not indicate whether it was taken unanimously or by a majority.

(18) Where the Director General has made a decision under regulation 24(1) to present a case, paragraph (7) must be read as if for “The person representing the appropriate authority” there were substituted “The Director General”.