Should the police face mandatory lie detector tests?
Thursday 19th January 2023
EM
As a nation we have sat and watched the news over the last 2 years and seen many police personnel arrested, dismissed and incarcerated for various crimes, however this has only been more publicised after the murder of Sarah Everard. This senseless killing of a beautiful, bright and intelligent woman proved that there is a need for more rigorous screening on the people we trust to protect our loved ones and keep people such as Wayne Couzens and David Carrick out of positions of authority.
As a woman and the Customer Support Manager here at Lie Detector Services LTD, I feel it is sad to say that the days a policeman approaches you in the street when you are walking home late at night to check on your safety are gone. It is now both unnerving and frightening to think asking for a lone policeman's help is now not something I would do without questioning the persons mannerisms, body language and intentions. You can call me sceptical because of the industry I work in and if I am totally honest, it has made me question people more, but always for the better. Police forces across the world should emit a sense of protection, security and always make you feel that everything is going to be alright. This is a security now lost and appears to be unrecoverable.
Most potential police officers enter this type of role and that of healthcare, judicial services and mental and social care positions as they want to help people, they want to be the ones that do say "everything will be alright". They put themselves in danger every day to ensure the safety of others and I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for these pillars of our community, without the ones that do the job for the right reasons we would be lost, unprotected and afraid of everyone and everything. They are underpaid, overworked and under-appreciated and now because of the actions of a few, nearly all are being branded as untrustworthy and are being scrutinised. Ask yourself do you trust the police as much as you did 10 years ago and if not, why not?
The Guardian newspaper reported that in the year up to April 2022, 68 police officers had been charged and found guilty of crimes, along with another 25 people who were police staff. This will have included Wayne Couzens who is now serving a life sentence for the abduction, murder and rape or Sarah Everard. If you delve further back, the Independent newspaper reported in October 2021 that 2000 had been accused of sexual misconduct, including rape in the previous 4 years. This report highlighted that nearly 2 thirds of these allegations were discontinued, across a staggering 39 different forces. So, what can we do about it? to answer this question let´s take a look at the most prominent case in the news today regarding this issue, and the one that has made me want to write this blog.
David Carrick, employed as an authorised firearms officer in the Metropolitan police parliamentary and diplomatic protection command pleaded guilty to 43 offences, this in itself is disturbing and on Monday 16 January 2023, this serial rapist confessed to another 6 offences. UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak stated that this deplorable individual's crimes were an "absolutely despicable" abuse of power which needed to be "addressed immediately". He has ordered all police forces to check existing personnel which includes serving officers and staff immediately to see if anyone has "slipped through the net" prior to mandatory checks that were only introduced in 2006.
As much as this is refreshing and makes the public feel that something is being done about the situation, I feel lie detector tests should be introduced in ongoing appraisals and as part of a pre-employment screening process.
Since, people who follow our profession know that courts will not allow the results of a lie detector test to be used as evidence, and that this is due to them not being 100% accurate however, if we know police forces use them to gain insight into the parole of sex offenders they must trust their value, why after these atrocities have been revealed would they not use them on their staff?
Many of you know the value a lie detector test can bring to the resolution of a situation and I trust and respect the opinion of the few out there that do not, but in David Carrick´s case the introduction of a polygraph into the screening of police could have stopped many of his crimes taking place, to explain let´s look at his timeline:
1994 - David enrols in the Army, an institution designed to protect our country.
2000 - A former partner of Carrick claims he sent abusive messages to her when she wanted to end their relationship, he also faced burglary charges. Carrick was not arrested or charged resulting in no further action.
A lie detector test at this point could have proved if he did this, or at least highlighted the type of person he was.
2001 - Carrick enrols in the Metropolitan police, after his training becoming a first response officer in South West London.
Carrick was vetted when he applied for the position and passed the Mets vetting procedure. A lie detector test included in this vetting process could have highlighted his previous crimes, and again the type of person he was.
2002 - Carrick has a further accusation of domestic related violence, this time not just harassment but also assault. He gets away with this again resulting in no further action being taken.
A lie detector test at this point could have confirmed if he was violent to his ex-partner and revealed any abusive tendencies or intentions.
2004 - No criminal accusations were raised to the police after he is involved in a domestic incident, he is not arrested and the matter was never passed for investigation to the Directorate of Professional Standards.
A lie detector test at this point could have highlighted his previous crimes, and again the type of person he was.
2005 - Carrick relocated to North London and joins another police headquarters.
Do I need to explain how a lie detector test would have helped at this point; I think not.
2009 - Carrick is promoted to a firearms office and moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, this assignment provides armed police visibility for diplomatic, political and government offices.
So, now we have given a firearm to someone who has potentially been involved in numerous domestic violence incidents and a potential burglary. It seems inconceivable that the protectors of our nation would not do some checks prior to this, were any of the previous allegations recorded? They must have been for the press to gain this information. I won´t repeat how a lie detector test could have helped at this point, I think it´s pretty clear.
2009 - A domestic abuse is reported involving Carrick by a third party, neither involved make a complaint and again no further action is taken, however this incident is referred to the Met.
Need I say more?
2016 - Carrick is a suspect of harassment which initiates a Hampshire police investigation. He was not arrested.
A lie detector test could have supported this persons claims and provided enough doubt to continue with further investigation.
2017 - It is alleged Carrick passed another vetting process according to reports.
2017 - Drunk and disorderly he is spoken to by police officers after being thrown out of a nightclub in Reading for his behaviour.
2019 - A further report of a domestic incident from a third-party to Hertfordshire police claimed an argument between a woman and Carrick had resulted in assault and criminal damage. He was accused of grabbing her by the neck, neither Carrick nor the woman upheld the complaint to the police after is was reviewed by the Domestic Abuse Unit.
Compulsory lie detector testing when such allegations are made would have identified if this took place. A CBN report on YouTube confirmed that the vetting process is flawed and requires far more stringent checks
July 2021 - Carrick is arrested by Hertfordshire police for rape, the allegation was not upheld and was withdrawn by the victim and no further action was taken. He was on restricted duties until September 2021 when the case was dropped.
There is now an overwhelming number of accusations, investigations and evidence this man is a sexual predator and abuser but he was still allowed to resume his duties. I am truly speechless after watching the reports on various channels and reading the clear and damning press releases.
1 October 2021 - Finally, one 50 year old woman whom he met on a dating apps complaint is taken seriously. Carrick is arrested, charged and suspended from the Metropolitan police.
4 October 2021 - Carrick appears in Westminster magistrates court charged with rape; he is remanded in custody.
October 2021 to October 2022 - 12 further victims of the rapist contact police after seeing news reports and press releases following his charges.
16 December 2022 - At the Old Bailey, Carrick provides a plea of guilty to 43 offences. It is only at this point that his salary is stopped by the Met. The British public pay for our police forces; therefore this means that even after he was charged in October 2021 he continued to be a member of the police with a salary to match.
16 January 2023 - At Southwark crown court Carrick reveals he is responsible for a further 6 charges.
The offences that David Carrick has pleaded guilty to date back to 2003, if you review the timeline above you will see that the Met or the Army could have identified behavioural issues with a lie detector test 3 times. Even without a polygraph in place, ITV reported that the Met had 9 opportunities to identify the issue and failed to do so.
It is clear this person used his position of authority to seduce, silence and scare his victims into submission. He would often lock women in the downstairs cupboard of his apartment for hours on end. He would force his victims to clean the house naked, referring to them as slaves. He would urinate on these poor women and instruct them on when they could sleep or eat. He degraded, humiliated, harassed and bullied these women into submission. Carrick thought he was untouchable and often said this to his victims leaving them with nowhere to turn. For nearly 2 decades this was true and its astonishing that a simple lie detector test could have helped prevent at least some of his acts. A lie detector test in criminal proceedings could provide additional doubt, it allows for further investigation and I am confident if they had taken a deeper look at his past as a result of the findings he would not have been allowed to remain in a trusted position of power.
The charges and guilty plea has prompted the Met to make checks more thorough, however weren´t we promised this when Sarah Everard was murdered? The review of all police officers at this point should have been carried out but it wasn't. It would not have stopped these crimes by David Carrick but could have brought him to justice far sooner.
We invite the Metropolitan police to see how we could help with any pre-employment checks and ongoing checks during appraisals. We can provide checks whenever, wherever and for whatever reason they need. At the point of accusation, during investigation or even after charges. You use them for sexual predators, please consider them to ensure your own staff are not one of them.
Has someone you know been accused of a crime they didn´t commit? Do you know someone that has committed a crime against you, or another and need some supportive evidence to prove it? If someone has faced "no further charges" then they should not refuse your request for them to take a test. Anyone who refuses to take a polygraph test usually has something to hide. Contact us today on 0800 774 7268 or visit us online to see if we can help you get the justice you deserve,
