New Plans To Crack Down On Police Corruption

New plans to crack down on corruption in police forces are expected to be announced by the Home Secretary Theresa May later today.

Under the rules, officers with a history of sexual or financial misconduct will not be able to become chief constables.

All officers will also have to register on a public website any gifts and hospitality they receive.

The newly formed College of Policing will be asked to draw up a code of practice for vetting applicants for the post of chief constable and deputy to avoid cases where applicants fail to disclose sex harassment claims.

The move follows a series of high-profile scandals, including the police cover-up of their role in the Hillsborough disaster, the phone-hacking affair, and the row over police claims that former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell called an officer a "pleb".

Most recently, the behaviour of undercover officers working for the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) has inflamed the debate over police integrity.

It has been claimed a number of officers in the SDS used dead children's identities to infiltrate protest groups without the consent of parents, while others engaged in sexual relationships with the women they were spying on.

It is also expected that police officers will have to disclose details of any second jobs they hold - around 20,000 hold second jobs, leaving them exposed to potential conflicts of interest.

A nationwide code of ethics is also expected to reinforce the importance of "honesty and truthfulness", while a duty of candour will require them to blow the whistle on corrupt colleagues.