The Labour Government has announced that Officers dismissed from national law enforcement agencies are to be barred from joining local police forces through new legislation, in an effort to raise standards and boost public confidence in law enforcement. 

On 10 June, the Home Office introduced legislation to Parliament, which aims to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to include a barred and advisory list within the National Crime Agency. The creation and dispersion of this list would ensure that barred individuals cannot be rehired to any law enforcement agency, and those on the advisory list would be heavily scrutinised before being hired.  Once passed, the advisory and barred list will be maintained across the UK with support from the NCA and College of Policing. 

Currently, a loophole exists in the law enforcement recruitment process that allows dubious officers to re-enter the force. The Independent reports that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley labelled the inability to sack officers failing vetting as ‘absurd’. 

This amendment emerged in light of severe police misconduct, highlighted in the 2024 case of Sarah Everard’s murder, which incited widespread calls for policing reform. Everard’s family spoke out against Wayne Couzens, the police officer convicted of her rape and murder, stating that ‘warning signs were overlooked throughout [Couzens’s] career’. 

Hundreds of officers are currently being investigated and re-vetted for claims of officer misconduct and on-duty criminal offences. Around 65% of these investigations are being directed at members of the Metropolitan Police, and a total of 139 officers have been submitted for evaluations and re-vetting. 

This new legislation also establishes itself as part of the Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change. These initiatives include a series of Government reforms that aspire to promote the safety of women and girls by reducing violent crimes through the banning of lethal weapons.

Lady Elish Angiolini conducted an independent inquiry that discovered a series of Couzen’s previous sexual attacks, some of which remained un-investigated before he was hired. Angiolini warned that ‘without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Wayne Couzens operating in plain sight.’