CHAIR ASKS
PROCESS SPEED UP WITHOUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES?’
‘HOW WILL THE In this edition of Chair Asks, Steve
Hartshorn put his questions to John Basset, president of the National Association of Legally Qualified Chairs (NALQC)
Recent changes announced by the Home Office to police misconduct hearing procedures are due to come into effect in April this year, and as part of these changes misconduct panels will no longer require a legally qualified person to chair the panel, indeed, misconduct panels will no longer be required to follow the advice of a legally qualified person.
Control of misconduct panels has been handed to chief constables, going against
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our advice, and indeed against the evidence from investigative reports such as that by Baroness Casey.
on the impact and efficacy such changes may have.
“The NALQC regards the proposals as a retrograde step and does not consider they provide for a process that is open, transparent and fair to all involved.”
As these changes are imminent it is an appropriate moment to engage with the NALQC to gain the association’s insight
Steve Hartshorn: How do you see fitting into the new process moving from legally qualified chairs (LQCs) to legally qualified persons (LQPs), and what, if any, areas of concern do you have that may impact the efficiency of the role in the future?
John Bassett: As you will be aware, the Home Office has now dropped its proposal to have an LQP on panels at
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