Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

PEOPLE ISSUES
external conciliation service, such as ACAS. ACAS … could provide a valuable independent
step. There might be other bodies which could also provide such a facility.”
(Submission from AC Bernard Hogan-Howe, MPS.)
4.114 We are, however, not attracted to the idea. We strongly believe that
managers should be responsible for resolving grievances. We think the best way for
the MPS to deal with grievances is to enable managers to own and resolve them
quickly on the ground by providing them with a sound grievance procedure and
proper support, rather than bringing in outsiders such as ombudsmen, or even
insiders such as FAWAs.
4.115 Staff confidence in both the procedures and those who are responsible for
applying them is crucial. We believe that the way to create that confidence is for
managers to be seen to manage fairly and transparently, treating issues that arise
on their merits. We are, therefore, not persuaded by the arguments proposed in
favour of an ombudsman.
4.116 Note 4 to our terms of reference ask us specifically to consider the use of an
internal ombudsman. The evidence we have referred to above deals solely with an
external ombudsman. However, the reasoning we have used to reject the notion of
an external ombudsman applies with equal force to an internal one.
Employment Tribunal claims
4.117 We would emphasise the need to adopt strategies to attempt to resolve
issues before the employee feels he or she needs to take legal proceedings, whether
that is through a sound grievance procedure, mediation or some other route.
4.118 However, it may not always be possible to avoid an Employment Tribunal
claim and it is important that the lodging of the claim does not mean that those
involved focus on handling the legal proceedings, to the exclusion of continuing to
attempt to resolve the issues involved. We endorse the following extract from
Learning the Lessons from Employment Tribunals, a joint publication from the Home
Office, the Police Federation, ACPO and the PSAEW, which was published during
the course of the Inquiry:
“By asking an Employment Tribunal to determine a workplace dispute a Force will have failed
its workforce. Although people appear before an Employment Tribunal in order to get an
acknowledgment that they were right, there are no real winners. Appearing at an Employment
Tribunal is a traumatic experience for all concerned, and is costly in terms of money, publicity
and careers … There should be a duty on everyone to come to the table to resolve complaints.”
4.119 It is also important to understand what an Applicant may be seeking by way
of resolution. It is sometimes assumed that the motivation for lodging a claim is
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