The new powers which will make it easier for Greater Manchester Police to sack rogue cops

Chief Constable Stephen Watson has welcomed a change in the law which hands back the power for top cops to sack rogue officers in misconduct proceedings.

The Home Office reforms, which came into force yesterday (Tuesday), will allow chief constables to lead the proceedings that decide whether officers and staff found guilty of misconduct should be removed from their forces. For the last decade, independent chairs have decided gross misconduct hearings but the new measures restore this responsibility to chief constables.

It is part of a drive to restore public confidence in policing nationally, which has been rocked by a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens and the unmasking of former Met constable David Carrick as a serial abuser and rapist.

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Chief Constable Watson said: "We welcome this change in legislation which will allow us the increased capacity to root out and boot out more officers unfit to serve the public more quickly. In Greater Manchester over the last two years, we have already tripled the rate in which we’ve been dismissing officers who should not be in our uniform.

"We are using all available powers to ensure the public can have trust in their police force, including us increasingly looking to appeal for police pensions to be forfeited where applicable. The vast, vast majority of GMP’s officers are dedicated and compassionate professionals who are committed to making sure we are providing the best possible service for the people of GM."

Chief constables will be able to delegate their role as chair of the panel to a senior officer, or