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Legally Qualified Chairs

Legally Qualified Chairs (LQCs) lead police misconduct hearings. They are independent individuals who meet the judicial appointment eligibility conditions and are appointed every five years.

What are Legally Qualified Chairs?

Legally Qualified Chairs (LQCs) lead police misconduct hearings. They are independent individuals who meet the judicial appointment eligibility conditions and are appointed every five years.

LQCs were introduced under changes to the Police (Conduct) Regulations made in 2015, to replace senior police officers as the chairs of misconduct panels to make the process more transparent, independent and fairer. Under these regulations Commissioners appoint and hold a list of LQCs, but Police Professional Standard Departments still appointed them to hearings. The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 made further changes so that Commissioners now also appoint them to hearings to further increase the independence.

LQCs in North Yorkshire

In North Yorkshire, the Commissioner works collaboratively with fellow Commissioners across the North-East region to hold a list of LQCs. This means that a list is appointed and used by all the Commissioners across the North-East region. The list is held by Northumbria PCC on behalf of the region.

Appointments have taken place in 2015 and 2020.

LQCs are appointed to hearings using a ‘cab rank’ system, whereby the list is compiled randomly and then LQCs are offered hearings from across the region in turn.