Police boss expects 'rough ride' of more high-profile cases as forces root out corrupt officers

Forces up and down the country, particularly London’s Metropolitan Police, have been hit by a slew of scandals in recent years including strip-searching children, the murder of Sarah Everard, and the sharing of pictures of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman after they were killed.

In Shropshire, former police officer Rhett Wilson was recently jailed for 34 months for approaching three domestic violence victims for sex.

At a Shrewsbury Town Council meeting, Inspector Ben Tanfield was quizzed over what is being done to make sure Salopians can be confident in the officers protecting them. Councillor Alex Phillips, who represents Bagley, said: “The Met Police seem to be slowly unearthing and reforming by doing extra checks on background records on police who shouldn’t be serving and rooting them out.

“Are you doing any similar initiatives to make sure in Shropshire the public can be confident they are protected by people with thoroughly checked records?”

Inspector Tanfield: “Yes, we are. I think we are all going to be subject to re-vetting, but we are also very conscious that these aren’t just matters that affect the Metropolitan Police. You see it in local newspapers as well, specifically in relation to West Mercia Police. Chief Constables are duty bound legally to publish the outcomes of gross misconduct hearings.

“Ultimately, we police by consent. Where the public lose faith in us, it doesn’t work. There are cases, quite high-profile cases, where officers have been dismissed and even jailed in relation to matters concerning West Mercia.

“As with the Met and other forces, we do have a proportion of people who will be attracted to the role for the wrong reasons. I don’t think we should shy away from admitting that. I think they are doing what they can to root them out.

“On that, I think we’re in for a possibly rough ride this summer, because I think there are cases that are going to go through in May and June which are going to attract attention, which they rightly should, where people have been found to have been committing all manner of offences, sadly.”

He added: “I do think the vast majority of the people that I work alongside turn up to work to do a good job.

“The nature of the job, sometimes it does attract the wrong people. Those will be difficult to catch sometimes. But we’ll do what we can.”

Meanwhile at the meeting, the force received praise from Shrewsbury mayor Elisabeth Roberts, who thanked Inspector Tanfield for his team’s work in getting rid of drug dealers “cuckooing” in the home of a vulnerable resident in Harlescott.

Nat Green, councillor for the Quarry and Coton Hill areas, added that residents on his patch appreciate the police and the hard work they do.

Councillors Bernie Bentick and David Vasmer raised concerns about anti-social behaviour in Meole, Underdale and Monkmoor, while leader Alan Mosley asked about criminals being moved out of the town centre and into neighbouring patches such as his own Castlefields and Ditherington ward.

Inspector Tanfield offered to speak further on issues in particular wards outside the meeting., and told Mr Mosley it was “by design” that offenders were steered away from the town centre as that was the area that crime would have a detrimental impact on most people. “Sometimes it’s a case of if you don’t want them in the town centre, where do you want them?” he said.