On 26 June Fringe Groups 1-6 will run from15:45 and Groups 7-12 will run from 16:55. Delegates will be required to select their preferred fringe groups on arrival at the conference.

Fringe Groups 4 and 6 are repeated in the 15:45 sessions (9 and 12) .

Click here to download a full programme

This session is intended for those delegates who have overall responsibility for implementing security vetting in their Forces and who feel the need to understand more about the underlying principles and the challenges they will face. The ACPO Vetting Policy required Forces to have in place arrangements to vet new recruits and contractors to the standards outlined in that document. It also requires Forces to have in place structures to allow the Management Vetting of post-holders occupying sensitive positions by 1st April this year. How are Forces doing in achieving these dual targets? This session will look at progress; the importance of having in place a protective cordon around the whole of the Service and not just individual Forces; the models which can followed to best meet the organisational needs; the responsibilities the Vetting Units should have in relation to decisions about who we take and who we reject; emerging themes on the scope and size of the job in hand and the resources required to handle this and such issues of the organisational dilemma posed by the need to quickly fill vacancies balanced against the inherent delays caused by the vetting processes.

Last year saw the publication of HMIC?s thematic inspection of Professional Standards entitled “Raising the Standard”. It is now twelve months since the date of publication and this session will offer a timely opportunity to assess where we are now regarding the impact of the report and its recommendations.

This joint inspection was led by HMCPSI to analyse and assess the quality of the handling of cases involving an allegation of criminal conduct by a person serving with the police; it is complementary to and builds on the work of the thematic review "Raising the Standard", conducted by HMIC and published in the summer of 2006. The report makes recommendations targeted at both the CPS and the police service with a view to improvement in this important business area. This fringe group will focus upon the CPS response to the report and it?s recommendations.

In November 2005 forces were given the power to test certain categories of officers. This fringe group will give participants an opportunity to discuss the revised ACPO policy and share experiences and draw on the London experience of 'With Cause' testing.

This fringe meeting will give delegates the opportunity to discuss the detail of the new police officer misconduct procedures and will include discussion on:

• The new Police (Conduct) Regulations
• How the new system and regulations interact with the Police Reform Act and the complaints system
• The new Home Office Guidance to support the changes
• Delegates will hear about the changes to primary legislation and have the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities that the new arrangements provide.

Death in police custody may occur whilst a person is being arrested or taken into detention. These are relatively rare but each one is a tragic and traumatic event for all those involved including the family and the police officers. The death may have taken place on police, private or medical premises, in a public place or in a police or other vehicle. These are mandatory referrals to the IPCC and many have been the subject of independent investigations. A number of common themes have been identified and lessons identified.

In this session the IPCC will make a short presentation highlighting some of the issues identified from their investigations and how this information is being shared to help prevent future incidents. This will be followed by a discussion. Superintendent Debbie Platt from Derbyshire PSD will be present throughout to respond to any specific policing matters.

This session is aimed at those delegates who have perhaps experienced the frustration of what may be seen as the organisational barrier of the vetting process. Why does vetting sometimes take so long? How important is the need to look into the dark corners of people?s lives in order to assess the threat they pose to the Service as a whole?

The group will look at the detail of the vetting process and the issues which need to be considered; the role of vetting to the longer term issues posed by JOPI and ?taint?; the legality of the process in 'Human Rights' terms; the relevance of financial vetting (a sensitive subject to some); the processes involved in Management Vetting and the dilemmas this may pose to a Force.

In addition this session will explore how decisions are reached and how consistency and fairness is assured. Consideration will also be given discussing what may be seen as the diminishing importance of National Security Vetting in the Police environment and where CRB vetting sits in the overall picture.

Police officers and police staff may be regarded as tainted for a number of reasons and the management of taint creates serious challenges for police forces and has a long term impact upon the individuals concerned. This fringe group will consider the identification of officers who are affected and the implications for their subsequent appearance in the evidence chain, hence their future operational deployment.

This Fringe Group aims to raise awareness within Professional Standards Departments of the risks and responsibilities associated with race and diversity equality. The session will include an examination of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and Gender Equality Duty 2007, and their significance in Professional Standards monitoring. The group will also be asked to consider whether the over representation of BME officers subject to Professional Standards investigation is a matter of perception or reality.

The challenge as in so many aspects of policing is to translate ideas into action and to embed good practice so that it becomes the norm for everyone, everywhere. To identify and to promote learning from IPCC and police investigations is one such idea whose time is long overdue and is crucial if we are to realise the wider benefits from investigations following complaints and raise the professionalism of policing.

The Statutory Guidance describes promoting learning as key to it?s guardianship role and that the IPCC will work in partnership with the police service to contribute to improvements in policing through promoting learning. Police forces surely have a vested interest if only to realise benefits from what can too often be lengthy and costly investigations. Neither the IPCC or the police service can until now demonstrate how they intend to draw from the now considerable body of investigations so as to create a 'virtuous circle' that will contribute both to increapolicing as a whole.