1,500 police accused of attacks on women ... yet just 1% sacked
The horrifying scale of abuse by police can today be laid bare as figures show 1,500 officers and staff were accused of violence against women, but just 1 per cent were sacked.
The first ever national report on offending by serving officers and staff has revealed how hundreds of criminals in uniform are being reported for attacks on women as serious as rape, domestic assault and harassment, yet the majority are getting away with it.
In the six months between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, a total of 1,539 officers and staff were accused of violence against women and girls by members of the public or colleagues.
But in the same period just 13 offic
‘Potential predators amongst us’
ers were dismissed, which is less than 1 per cent of those accused.
The data published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council shows that 70 per cent of misconduct cases completed in that period led to no further action and four officers were let off with written warnings.
and 672 officers and staff across england and Wales faced disciplinary probes after being accused of sexual offences or violence against women in the six-month period.
There were a further 524 public complaints made against 867 officers and staff. But shockingly none of these complaints resulted in anyone being sacked and 91 per cent of reports resulted in no further action.
Now Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, who is the national police lead on tackling violence against women and girls (VaWG), wants zero tolerance for criminal behaviour. She admitted the scale of alleged offending was likely to be an underestimate as many victims are reluctant to come forward.
The senior officer also acknowledged that some of the accused may be repeat offenders who have previously been spared the sack by superiors.
‘It is shocking to hear that amongst us we have potential predators in policing and this I know will further shake fragile trust’, she said.
‘Our recommendation to Government is that anyone cautioned or convicted is barred from policing.’
She said forces must be ‘harsher in sanctions’ so chiefs can sack perpetrators quicker.
Inexplicably, four of the 43 forces were unable to provide figures on complaints or misconduct by their own officers.
On average, victims wait more than 80 days for a police complaint or misconduct issue to be resolved.
Of the disciplinary cases, 39 per cent related to alleged inappropriate sexual conduct which included rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, soliciting of prostitutes and child sexual abuse material. a further 6 per cent related to abuse of position for a sexual purpose.
among the complaints from the public, 63 per cent were accusations over use of force, 6 per cent were about harassing behaviour, 6 per cent were about sexual assault and 5 per cent concerned abuse of position to pursue a relationship.
andrea Simon, of the end Violence against Women Coalition, said: ‘This data is just the tip of the iceberg, given that many women choose not to report VaWG to the police, and this will be heightened when the perpetrator themselves is a police officer or staff member.’
The lifting of the lid on police misconduct is part of efforts to tackle misogyny after scandals including the murder of Sarah everard by officer Wayne Couzens and the jailing of his colleague, prolific rapist David Carrick. yesterday the Metropolitan Police announced plans to re-vet staff who are accused of breaking public trust.