New measures stop sexual predators joining police

In December, Naude, from Market Drayton, who was a student police officer with Cheshire Police, was jailed for 25 years after being convicted of the rape and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl he met online.

In total he was jailed for 37 offences.

It was revealed that in October 2016 when Naude was vetted nothing adverse was reported to Cheshire Police, however in February 2017 a rape allegation was made to Staffordshire Police, who informed Cheshire.

His recruitment was put on hold, and after no further action was taken a decision was made by Cheshire Police for his recruitment to continue.

Allegations of sexual activity with a child and stalking a child on social media were also reported by two other police forces, and were on the National Police Database.

However he was not re-vetted before beginning work in April 2017, and the two incidents were not picked up by Cheshire Police.

Cheshire Police's head of crime, Aaron Duggan, explained systems that have now been put in place to stop this from every happening again.

Detective Chief Superintendent Duggan said there was a delay in Naude starting with the force and he wasn't re-vetted, but new measures are in place top stop that from happening again.

He said: "At that time pre-recruit check nothing adverse was found or reported, it is like taking a picture snapshot provided us with reassurance that he has individual was suitable to join law enforcement.

"There was a delay from that vetting check in October to him actually joining constabulary. That is unusual and there are lots of reasons for the delay in that intake, and we didn't revet anyone on that intake.

"The lesson that has been learned is if there is delay for whatever reasons, not conduct all pre-recruit checks, but we will check on the national police database.

"We cannot defend the position we were in."

"We will always maintain he infiltrated our organisation to put himself in the position he put himself in.

"No vetting procedure in the country will identify somebody that will be e determined to put themselves close to children to commit offences.

"Had we checked the police national database the day before he was due to start as an officer, those two arrests would have been captured.

"The lesson learned albeit it an important one and a really serious one. If for whatever reason there is a delay now between the pre-recruit check to the start date, we will routinely check the the Police National Database immediately before someone is due to start, and that is something we have put in place on the back of Naude."

The trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard the horrific details around Naude's offending, and how he had been called to an incident and it was there he first began to groom the 13-year-old girl.

Detective Chief superintendent said the case will forever be with the force, and support is being offered to the victim's family for as long as they need it.

He added: "We have got support around the victim and the family and obviously that support will be there for as long as it does.

"We apologised immediately to the family and the chief constable at the time visited the family.

"We regret the position that we were in. The consequence of his actions will be with us forever. The case of Naude, the ripple effect touches every police officer because effected everybody involved in this case, not just because of what he has done.

"He was in the police when he did it, we are here to keep people safe, that is our ethos that is what we are about and in this case we failed."