Leading the way - ongoing checks reveal high levels of integrity

An innovative scheme is continuing to provide reassurance about the integrity of North Yorkshire Police’s officers, staff and volunteers.

Today sees the publication of a national integrity screening project - a "historical data wash" - which involved officers, staff and volunteers in other police forces being checked against the Police National Database (PND).

North Yorkshire Police already checks its workforce via the PND on a monthly basis as part of ‘Project Prism’. This project began in July 2022, and continues to verify high levels of integrity and disclosure compliance.

Nationally, it was identified that a gap exists when a police colleague is subject to police contact outside of their own force – for example, if someone has been reported for offences, or their conduct results in a police intelligence record being created in another force area. There is an expectation that that person would inform their own force, and the vast majority do, but some may not.

North Yorkshire Police carries out monthly screening as part of ‘Project Prism’, ensuring colleagues cannot withhold details of any such contact with another force. It also means their welfare can be considered and support put in place should they be a victim of or witness to a crime in another area.

The results to date continue to show reassuringly high levels of compliance, reflecting the robust vetting process that is in place across the force. Since March 2023, fewer than ten instances have required further action – none resulted in a formal investigation, but were instead linked to matters such as maintaining the accuracy of records.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Scott Bisset, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“We’re extremely proud to be leading the way nationally in ensuring the highest levels of integrity and disclosure compliance across our workforce.

“I hope our strong existing process continues to reassure our communities that the overwhelming majority of North Yorkshire Police officers, staff and volunteers are dedicated individuals who act with the utmost professionalism.

“We fully support the national move towards integrity screening processes, and will continue to share our findings from Project Prism to ensure these are effective as possible.”