Half of all police forces do not have resources to tackle corruption, report claims

Half of police forces in the UK England and Wales do not have the resources to identify and tackle corruption among officers, a new report claims.

The review, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), said that while "great strides had been made", forces were not "proactively" seeking out intelligence on corruption.

Inspectors said they found no evidence to suggest that corruption is "endemic" within the police service.

The Police Federation of England and Wales said it was "impossible" to enforce anti-corruption policing when budgets were being slashed.

The report, entitled Integrity Matters, said: "At the moment over half of police forces are not seeking out intelligence on corruption proactively; this is a clear area for improvement where they can continue to demonstrate a culture of zero tolerance for misconduct and corruption.”

Alex Duncan, head of professional standards at the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "This represents more clear evidence, if any were required, that it is impossible to reduce backroom services without damaging the service as a whole."

It also said it was "impossible" to know the extent of corruption as they was no single agreed definition of what corruption is, with the term meaning "different things to different people".

The report also warned that police officers are turning down offers of cups of tea from the public over increased fears of being accused of corruption.

It found that police officers were unsure what they could accept from members of the public, prompting fears it could affect community relations.

"We found examples of staff who refused to accept anything from members of the public including, for example, cups of tea when on foot patrol, because they thought that it was prohibited," the report said.