21 Oct 2025
We are constantly reading and hearing that everything is broken – our schools, our hospitals, our police service… and, of course, we have a right to an insight into the systems we pay into and rely upon.
But can we trust a national news narrative which generally hates the left wing? Could it be the pressure upon humans generally is contributing to struggles in the workplace, not to mention the funding cuts?
Are they damned if they do and damned if they don’t? “Teachers are awful but the regulatory system governing schools is causing suicides,” being a good example.
One of the latest in-your-face looks at a failing society in the UK was arguably the recent Panorama documentary looking into police conduct standards. And it was shocking.
An undercover BBC journalist took on a role as a Designated Detention Officer in the Met at Charing Cross police station. It’s a civilian role which involves making sure people in custody are looked after.
Rory Bibb spent seven months working there whilst wearing a secret camera and the footage shows Rory on his shifts and out of work socialising with officers of varying rank based at the station.
During his time there, the journalist reports that he witnessed many police officers behaving professionally and adhering to the police code of conduct.
However, Panorama exposed officers engaging in conversations which demonstrated highly racist and misogynistic views. The recordings also highlighted that officers knew their attitudes and behaviours were wrong and against the expected professional standards for policing.
Staff could be seen making derogatory remarks about a woman who had just reported being raped. Offensive sexual remarks were made by male staff, including sergeants, in the presence of – or about – women.
One officer described to the undercover reporter how much he hated foreigners, saying they were “the worst” and made very offensive comments about Somalians and displayed extremely Islamophobic attitudes.
Police staff discussed how one sergeant had stamped on a man’s leg several times while in the custody suite and how the staff colluded to make sure their statements all matched up with their own version of what happened.
Out in the courtyard during a cigarette break, an officer described how much pleasure he gets from breaking the tendons of suspects’ fingers if they refuse to give fingerprints.
Such a stark disclosure of what goes on behind closed doors at a typical UK police station is bound to shake the confidence of the public and perhaps raise concerns and questions about their own local police force.
So what is Hertfordshire Constabulary doing to make sure our own officers do not behave in this way?
We know that Herts police has had incidents of police behaving badly which ended in them being sacked, so what steps are taken to ensure they are in the minority?
A recent FOI submitted by the St Albans Times showed that between July 2023 and July 2025 26 Herts officers were suspended.
When we enquired further, we were told that of those, 12 were dismissed or found would have been dismissed, which means that had they not retired or resigned they would have been dismissed. Fourteen cases are ongoing and therefore have not had an outcome yet.
Behaviours that have resulted in police dismissal – or equivalent – in our county include drink driving while not on duty and committing a sexual offence against a child. You might have read about the officer who was sacked for stealing a victim’s underwear from her bedroom or the officer sacked over discriminatory remarks towards a lesbian colleague.
So how are the police policing themselves?
Det Ch Supt William Hodgkinson, head of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Professional Standards Department said: “We understand the impact officer misconduct has on public trust and confidence in policing and take these matters very seriously. They also let down the vast majority of officers who conduct themselves with professionalism and uphold the highest standards of behaviour.”
He said that standards of conduct are well publicised within the organisation, and that they take robust action where officers fall below these standards.
Det Ch Supt Hodgkinson added that last year 38 per cent of proceedings conducted by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Professional Standards Department were accelerated misconduct hearings, compared to a rate of 25 per cent across police forces nationally.
This shows, he said, how seriously they take misconduct matters and that they act swiftly to remove any officers who do not meet the standards they and the public expect.
So, what action does the force take to make sure officers remain professional?
“Misconduct hearing outcomes are shared within the organisation as a reminder to others and include advice and guidance on how to report issues as they arise. Many of the cases have arisen through our own reporting structures and they are dealt with appropriately as the public would expect. For transparency, misconduct proceedings are published on their website and offer public attendance physically or virtually.”
In 2022 Herts police launched a Male Violence Against Women and Girls-related education and awareness campaign that aims to empower officers, staff and volunteers, regardless of rank or role, to stand up against inappropriate behaviour if it occurs. The force added that its high standards and expectations of officers, staff and volunteers are regularly promoted. Those values are embedded from the outset during initial training and reinforced during ongoing professional development throughout an individual’s policing career.
The message seems clear, breaches of standards of conduct will not be tolerated, and stringent procedures are in place to root out and penalise any officer found breaching them.
So can we feel reassured that the situation witnessed in Charing Cross is not happening here?
Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Hertfordshire’s elected Police & Crime Commissioner tasked with ensuring the force meets the community needs, said: “The overwhelming majority of police officers and staff uphold the very high standards expected of them. The public should be assured that, very often, it is the diligence of other police officers who bring wrongdoing to light. My Police and Crime Plan clearly set out my priorities for policing in Hertfordshire, including my expectations for the Constabulary to focus on catching criminals and keeping people safe.
“Public confidence in policing must always come first and in Hertfordshire there is significant scrutiny, including involving members of the public, of police powers, use of force and custody. I will continue to support the Constabulary in maintaining high standards so that communities feel protected and Hertfordshire remains a safe place to live and work.”
