Who we are

Ethics and Conduct

The Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crime (CPVC) is a document that establishes a set of principles, rules and values that must be observed in the performance of the activities carried out by the managers and other workers of this Commission, in their professional relations with each other and also with third parties, reflecting the will and culture of the organisation itself.

The Code of Ethics and Conduct has the following objectives:

• Set out the ethical principles that prevail in the CPVC;
• Specify the standards of conduct expected of CPVC managers and employees;
• To inform the public of the conduct and attitude they can expect from CPVC managers and employees in their dealings with them.

The image of an organisation, whatever it may be, is increasingly based on the ethical behaviour of its managers, employees and other collaborators, who must be guided in all their actions by common values, principles of conduct that embody a clear standard of professional behaviour, which guides them not in the sense of what they could do, but in the exact sense of doing the right thing, always to the satisfaction of both the organisation and the people who come to it.

The aim of this Code is, above all, to improve individual attitudes and collective professional behaviour with regard to internal relationships, as well as existing external relationships, in order to prevent practices that run counter to both ethics and the conduct of public service that should guide public administration.

Ethics is much more than a word. It has to be a practice, a practice that has to be demonstrated by example, both by managers and by workers in their day-to-day work, always respecting the values of the public organisation they serve, respecting citizens and respecting the state. The adoption of the principles, values and standards of conduct set out in this Code must therefore be a commitment made by everyone who works at the CPVC.

All those who work at the CPVC must therefore act in accordance with ethically correct behaviour and must never neglect the impact that their decisions, ways of acting and behaviour, whether by action or omission, may have on all those who interact with them, whether they are members of the CPVC or other users.

As part of the prevention of corruption, there has always been a recommendation to implement Codes of Conduct to clarify the behaviour expected of managers and other workers, and it is recognised that if these ethical rules are followed, the likelihood of cases related to possible fraud and corruption can be reduced.

Oriented towards public service, the Public Administration must be guided by behaviour that respects the general interest, so the primacy of the public interest imposes a set of principles and duties on officials, such as:

• The principle of neutrality;
• The principle of legality;
• The principle of justice and impartiality;
• The principle of equality;
• The principle of proportionality;
• The principle of collaboration and good faith;
• The principle of information and quality;
• The principle of loyalty;
• The principle of integrity;
• The principle of competence and responsibility.

These principles and duties are enshrined in the Charter of Ethics for Public Administration and other legal and administrative instruments, namely the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA).

To this end, the provisions of this Code must be interpreted in accordance with the legal rules in force regarding the rights, duties and responsibilities of all managers and workers, which is why all the principles set out in the Charter of Ethics for Public Administration have been taken into account.

Therefore, under the terms of point 3(a) of the Recommendation of the Corruption Prevention Board of 7 November 2012, I approve this Code of Ethics and Conduct to which all CPVC managers and employees are now subject:

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Object

This Code of Ethics and Conduct establishes a set of principles and rules on ethics and professional behaviour to be observed by CPVC managers and employees in the performance of their duties, and in their relations with each other and with third parties.

Chapter II

PRINCIPLES

Article 2

General Principles

Employees must carry out their work at CPVC in accordance with the following principles:

1. Legality - They must act in the performance of their duties in accordance with constitutional principles and in strict compliance with the law, as well as complying with all legal and regulatory provisions applicable to their activity.
2. Exemption and Impartiality - they must act in a neutral, objective and fair manner towards all those who have dealings with CPVC.
3. Equality - They must not favour or disadvantage any person or entity on the grounds of race, gender, age, ancestry, language, political, ideological or religious convictions, sexual orientation, social status or economic situation.
4. Loyalty - They must act in a loyal, supportive and cooperative manner, both among themselves and with the people and public and private entities with whom they deal in the context of their duties.
5. Pursuit of the public interest - they must always act in accordance with the principle of good faith, always with a view to realising the public interest in order to provide an excellent public service, without neglecting the legitimate interests, claims and rights of those who have dealings with CPVC.
6. Information - They must provide all the information and clarifications that are due/requested, in the most complete, rapid, clear, rigorous and friendly way possible, always taking into account respect for the law and regulations in force.
7. Integrity - They must act, at all times, with uprightness of character, personal and professional honesty and respect for others, and may not take any action that could in any way harm other employees or the people or organisations with whom they have dealings.
8. Competence and Responsibility - They must carry out the duties or tasks assigned to them in a competent and committed manner, with rigour, zeal and a constructive critical spirit.
9. Civility - They must treat everyone with whom they have dealings in a cordial, respectful and considerate manner, favouring a healthy working environment and a conciliatory and cooperative relationship with other people and entities.
10. Collaboration and Good Faith - They must collaborate with any persons or entities with which they have a relationship in order to achieve the most appropriate result possible for the fulfilment of their mission and act in such a way as not to create unjustifiable obstacles or difficulties for those persons or entities.

Article 3

Professional diligence

1 – The actions of CPVC employees must be guided by loyalty to the organisation and must be honest, independent, impartial and not serve personal interests.

2 – CPVC employees must adhere to high standards of professional ethics.

3 – CPVC employees must identify and provide their superiors and colleagues, in a timely, complete and accurate manner, with all information that may be relevant to the proper performance of their duties.

4 – CPVC employees must carry out their duties zealously, efficiently and responsibly, ensuring compliance with instructions, respect for the appropriate hierarchical channels and transparency in dealing with all stakeholders, and behave in such a way as to maintain and strengthen public confidence in the CPVC, contributing to the effective functioning, good name and good image of the organisation.

Chapter III

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Article 4

Professional secrecy

CPVC employees are subject to professional secrecy and must keep and maintain strict confidentiality. They may not divulge or use, for any purpose whatsoever, for their own benefit or for the benefit of others, directly or through an intermediary, information obtained in the performance of their duties or as a result of such performance.

Article 5

Personal data

CPVC employees who, in the course of their duties, have access to any personal data belonging to third parties are obliged to comply with the legal provisions on data protection and may not use it other than for legally prescribed purposes.

Article 6

Sharing information

Without prejudice to the provisions of the previous articles, CPVC employees must guarantee the communication, recording and sharing of information between themselves and within the Commission, facilitating the preservation of knowledge acquired or created as a result of the activities they carry out.

Chapter IV

PREVENTION OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES

Article 7

Prevention of corruption and related offences

1 – CPVC employees must act actively against all forms of corruption, whether active or passive, and related offences, paying special attention to any form of payments, favours and complicity that could lead to the creation of illicit advantages.

2 – In the event of any of the behaviours mentioned in the previous paragraph, which may constitute a criminal or disciplinary offence, employees must report to the Public Prosecutor's Office or to the competent disciplinary authority, as appropriate, providing all evidence and reporting all facts of which they are aware that indicate suspicion of fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity to their detriment.

3 – Employees must not accept any form of payment or other benefit that could create the expectation of favouritism or illicit advantage, such as offers from applicants, clients or suppliers.

Chapter V

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 8

Non-compliance

1 – Breaches of the principles and duties set out in this Code provided that the legal conditions for this are met, may give rise to disciplinary liability.

2 – It is up to the Chairman of the Commission to take cognisance of and decide on situations in which CPVC employees breach the Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Article 9

Publicity

This Code must be publicised by all CPVC employees through internal communication channels (intranet and institutional email) and published on the CPVC website.

Article 10

Entry into force

This Code shall enter into force on the day following its publication on the CPVC website.