Police officers who fail background checks will be automatically sacked from next month to close a “glaring gap” in the law.
Measures will be introduced to parliament on Wednesday to make it a legal requirement for serving officers to pass vetting procedures.
From 14 May, any officer who fails the vetting process will be sacked straight away.
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Head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, had accused officials of dragging their feet on the issue and said it is “absurd” officers who were not fit to pass vetting cannot legally be sacked.
Currently, officers can fail vetting for a number of reasons, including for domestic and sexual abuse, and in some circumstances can stay on full pay.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson told Sky News she thinks the public will be “quite shocked” to discover there is currently no way to remove officers “who are a risk to the public and to their colleagues”.
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She added: “This is about a bespoke way of identifying those officers who can’t hold the vetting because of the background checks that are made and making sure that there is a swift, easy, but fair way of removing them from the police service.”
In February, Met Police officer Sergeant Lino Di Maria, who was accused of sexual offences, successfully mounted a legal challenge after having his vetting removed over the allegations, which he denies.
The High Court found he had no case to answer in respect of the misconduct allegations after he argued having his vetting removed without the accusations being proved was a breach of his right to a fair trial.
The Met Police said it has now been granted leave to appeal against the judgment on Thursday after it was deemed a matter of public importance.
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Sir Mark said: “The ability to hold a vetting clearance is the most basic indication of whether someone can be trusted to hold the extensive and often intrusive powers that police officers are given.
“It was never right that an officer could lose their vetting, but not lose their job.
“These reforms close that glaring gap in the law and will allow us to move swiftly to remove those who have no place in policing.
“This matters not just for the public we serve but for the vast majority of hardworking officers who should be able to feel safe, have full trust in those they work alongside and have the confidence of the public.”
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said serious cases in recent years have “badly failed all proper policing standards” and “damaged public trust in the officers who are supposed to protect them”, undermining most officers.
“It is simply not acceptable that officers who are clearly unfit to serve or pose a risk to their colleagues cannot be removed,” she said.
“That’s why these new rules are essential and it is why this government has been working closely with forces to overcome these barriers to restore confidence in policing.”
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The Home Office also plans to introduce further safeguards to improve vetting national standards later this year, including stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.
Officers convicted of certain criminal offences will also be automatically found guilty of gross misconduct.
