Greater Manchester Police is backing the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service launched by the independent charity Crimestoppers.

The service provides an anonymous and confidential route for the public to report concerns, online or via a dedicated phone line, about serving police officers, staff and volunteers who are suspected of being corrupt or committing serious abuse.

The reporting service sits alongside existing complaints procedures at GMP for the public and police employees to report and will only deal with corruption and serious abuse.

The Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service covers information relating to officers, staff and volunteers who:

• Provide information or influence in return for money or favours

• Use their policing position for personal advantage - whether financial or otherwise

• Cross professional boundaries or abuse their position for sexual purposes

• Abuse or control their partner, or those they have a relationship with

• Engage in racist, homophobic, misogynistic or disablist conduct, on or off duty, in person or online

Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Allen, of GMP's Professional Standards Directorate, said: “The vast majority of our colleagues are professional, committed and passionate about safeguarding communities and the people they serve.

“However, there is a minority who fall below the high standards we expect of each other, and that the public rightly expects and deserves, and we are united in our determination to remove them from policing.

“The phone line will bolster the GMP’s capability to take action against those who are not fit to serve in a police uniform.

“All reports, which can be anonymous, will be thoroughly assessed by our Professional Standards Directorate and, where appropriate, a full investigation will take place to collect information and evidence to ensure that the right action is taken.”

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Police, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, said: “Greater Manchester Police has come a long way under the leadership of the current Chief Constable, and we believe the culture of the force is in a much better place than it was before.

“We are not complacent however and when there are officers not upholding the highest of standards that we expect from them and serving their communities robustly we expect thorough action to be taken against them.

“This service is another way that the public can be absolutely sure GMP is taking the strongest action against those not fit to be in the organisation, making certain that residents have a police force to be proud of.”

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “This reporting service will enable us to take action by giving the public a new, anonymous and confidential route to report corruption, criminality, or abusive behaviour within policing.

“We do not underestimate the impact recent events have had on trust and confidence in policing, including the appalling findings of the Angiolini report.

“We have made progress in strengthening procedures around misconduct and vetting, and forces are taking a proactive approach to finding and rooting out wrongdoing. However, we know there is always more to do to ensure that we meet the high standards rightly expected and deserved by the public.

“The vast majority of police officers and staff act professionally and with integrity in the fulfilment of their duties to protect the public. We must take tough action to purge policing of those responsible for wrongdoing, for now and for the future."

To make a report, contact the service by calling 0800 085 0000 or via Crimestoppers' website.

The public can still report crime via the usual methods including 101 and the GMP website, as well as anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Crimestoppers will take reports from the public about individuals currently employed by any police force in the UK.

The information will be passed to the relevant force’s specialist unit, such as Professional Standards or Anti-Corruption.

It may then be passed to specialist detectives to begin an investigation, take steps to safeguard someone at risk or in danger, or record the information to inform future investigations.

When people contact the service, they can choose to remain anonymous, or can opt to leave their details if they are willing for the force investigation team to contact them directly.