ESSEX'S Police and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, has spoken about how important it is that people can have 'trust' in their force.

He was speaking after the publication of the Inspector of Constabulary's report into standards in policing.

The report was commissioned following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer and inspectors were asked to examine the police's vetting and counter-corruption arrangements.

This was to include assessing forces' abilities to detect and deal with misogynistic and predatory behaviour by police officers and staff.

Mr Hirst has welcomed the report and says Essex Police pass muster on all counts.

He said: "The public need to be able to trust the police. That is of fundamental importance.

"In Essex, the Service has worked very hard to ensure our vetting processes are identifying applicants who should not be allowed to become officers and the Service is robustly dealing with cases of misconduct from serving officers. This is a regular area of focus for me and my team as we provide scrutiny, on behalf of the public, of Essex Police.

"Essex Police were not one of the eight services covered by this report. The Service was last inspected in 2019 and the Chief Constable has assured me that all actions arising from this have been acted upon to the satisfaction of HMICFRS.

"This report raises real issues about the robustness of checks being undertaken nationally and this is of significant concern. I fully support the eight key areas highlighted for action and while Essex is not covered by the report, I will be working with the Chief Constable so the public and I can be assured that these issues are not happening in Essex.

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"The public rightly expect the highest standards from their police officers and so do I.

"Policing is under concentrated scrutiny right now for the way it treats women and girls and this report on the national picture raises serious concerns.

"I cannot say that I experience what a woman experiences, but as a man I can stand up and condemn all male violence against women, and police officers need to condemn it, and protect women. We all need to do more to support women and girls, to rebuild their confidence and trust. Ensuring that services have the right recruitment and vetting procedures in place, is a step towards doing that."