Clause 43 - Application, discharge and variation
Proceeds of Crime Bill
9:30 am
Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield, Conservative)
I appreciate that. However, there may be a difference between the consequences of misfeasance by a senior police officer or customs officer, and the disciplinary regime to which a financial investigator is subjected if powers are exceeded or used incorrectly. That is why I have greater confidence in a system that is reliant on police officers or customs officers who are subject to an established disciplinary regime and a standard complaints mechanism, rather than on a financial investigator who, presumably, has an ordinary civilian or civil service status. That is why we should approach that issue with caution, and I hope that when the Minister considers its details, he will ensure that the status of the financial investigator is such that there is a complaints or disciplinary procedure similar to those that apply to police and customs officers.