How can the IOPC be independent of the police when they are substantially ‘ex-police’

I made a Freedom of Information request to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), to collate information about the IOPC staff and in essence, if they have any connection/alliance with the police.

My FOI was as follows;

Dear Independent Office for Police Conduct,

How many ex-police officers, ex-police staff and ex-staff from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are currently (or previously) employed by the IPOC specifically in the following roles;

• Investigation
• Management of investigations
• Assessing/deciding appeals
• Management of appeals
• Senior management/strategic roles

Please include whether these staff retired from their previous roles or whether they were dismissed.

Please can you include these statistics for each calendar year, commencing from 8 January 2018 to the present date?

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under your Section 16 obligations, as to how I can refine my request to be included in the scope of the Act. In any case, if you can identify ways that my request could be refined please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by the Act.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me via email and I will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Ponting

 

I was a little shocked at the response that confirms that, in January 2021 (this year), there were;

53 ex-police and 31 ex-civilian police working within the investigator / lead level.

16 ex-police and 5 ex-civilian police working within the investigations division at the Operations, Team Leader /Deputy Senior, Investigator level.

8 ex-police and 1 ex-civilian police working within the investigations division at the Operations, Manager / Senior Investigator level.

1 ex-police and 5 ex-civilian police working within the Assessment /decision making on appeals and reviews level.

3 ex-civilian police working within the Management of appeals and reviews level.

 

In 2020 there were;

56 ex-police and 32 ex-civilian police working within the investigator / lead level.

18 ex-police and 5 ex-civilian police working within the investigations division at the Operations, Team Leader /Deputy Senior, Investigator level.

8 ex-police and 1 ex-civilian police working within the investigations division at the Operations, Manager / Senior Investigator level.

2 ex-police and 6 ex-civilian police working within the Assessment /decision making on appeals and reviews level.

2 ex-civilian police working within the Management of appeals and reviews level.

 

The full FOI letter of response is below.

 

Is it possible that IOPC can be ‘truly’ independent of the police when there are substantial ex-police within the IOPC at all levels including management?