Thames Valley Police is rejecting more applicants after high-profile convictions of former Metropolitan Police officers.
The number of those wanting to join the force who were rejected rose to 319 in 2023/24 from 267 over the previous 12 months, according to a new report by the force’s head of vetting Sue Murphy.
The report read: “There has been an increase in rejections in the main due to change in risk appetite following cases such as Couzens and Carrick. Some of this can also be attributed to the quality of candidates we are now getting.”
Former Met officer David Carrick was jailed for life last year over series of rapes, while Wayne Couzens who also previously worked for the force was given life in 2021 after admitting to the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
Thames Valley’s police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber referenced the cases as the report was presented in a meeting of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel.
He said: “People are focussed on vetting because of some of the awful things we’ve seen, in the Met certainly, but also certain individuals in Thames Valley.”
Barber said the size of the force’s team of 33 vetting officers ‘was needed’ to manage the process and that vetting had become more intense and more frequent, with checks now carried out every 10 years.
The report also said that a ‘concerning issue’ was the rise in withdrawals from the vetting process from 382 in 2022/23 to 538 over the last 12 months.
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