245 cop sex charges in 4 years .. 0 dismissals
Not a single officer was sacked after facing claims over last four years
MORE than 200 cases of sexual misconduct were made against Police Scotland officers over the last four years – yet not one resulted in dismissal.
Shocking new figures reveal 245 claims were made against 116 officers and special constables. The statistics have been uncovered from a Freedom of Information request by Channel 4’s Dispatches. It investigated sexual misconduct in UK police forces in the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder by Met officer Wayne Couzens. Cops on Trial: Dispatches, which airs tonight at 10pm, also looks into domestic abuse by officers. Reporter Ellie Flynn speaks with Anne-Marie Hirdman, former partner of PC Fraser Ross, who served with Police Scotland and was convicted of four counts of assault in July. Throughout their six-year relationship, Anne-Marie was subjected to physical and emotional abuse. Ross avoided jail and was sentenced to a community payback order and a six-year nonharassment order. He resigned a week before his sentence and kept his pension. Anne-Marie told Dispatches: “I had bruising that would be round my
wrists all up my arms, my ribs, he headbutted me. I had some kind of concussion, one of the occasions. He would say, ‘I would love to kill you’.”
In response to the programme, Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor claimed the force takes “appropriate action” when an officer fails to meet standards.
She said: “We have no ability under current conduct regulations to prevent an officer from resigning.
“Our officers will carry out a thorough investigation into any complaint, irrespective of who the offender is. Sexism, misogyny and discrimination of any kind are deplorable and unacceptable. They have no place in policing.
“Progress has been made but there remains much work to do. We’re bringing additional focus to ensure our culture is welcoming and inclusive.”
Freedom of Information requests were lodged with police forces across the UK and 39 forces responded.
Just eight per cent of allegations led to a dismissal and, even in upheld cases of sexual misconduct, there were dismissals in less than a third.