Guernsey Police Chief Vows to Restore Public Trust in Complaints Handling

The newly appointed chief officer of Guernsey Police has stated his intention to “do everything” to restore public confidence, assuring that every complaint against his force will be addressed seriously. Damian Kitchen, who commenced his role in early November, made these remarks while also indicating he would investigate further modifications to the existing complaints system. These comments follow previous changes made to the island’s police complaints law by the Committee for Home Affairs (CHA). Regarding public confidence, he affirmed: “I will do everything to make sure the public have full confidence that if they report anything like that, I will take it as the chief of the force absolutely seriously.” The new head of the force, who transferred from Lancashire Constabulary, possesses 29 years of experience in UK policing. He noted this experience has provided him with a “long track record” in managing serious cases. He added: “If anyone has the wrong values or is using force in an inappropriate way, for example, in my force it has no place.” According to the CHA, the new amendment, implemented in August, now screens each complaint to prevent “repetitious, vexatious, or transparently unfounded complaints undermining the system.” Deputy Rob Prow, president of the CHA, stated that “gaps in the legislation” had been exploited by repeated complaints that were “flooding the system.” However, Mr. Kitchen highlighted that the current law prevents Guernsey Police from conducting any “fact finding” once a complaint has been made. This meant officers were immediately issued a misconduct form. He explained: “So even without any basic fact finding, you could find yourself in a position to suspend an officer based on one allegation or put them on alternative duties which takes them away from frontline policing.” He concluded: “The public and the politicians in Guernsey have to put their trust in me as head of the force and my values and my leadership to do the right thing.”