Over 1,500 police and staff accused of mistreatment of women in six-month period

More than 1,500 police officers and staff were accused over a sixmonth period of mistreating women, but less than 1 per cent have so far been sacked, new figures show.

- LIZZIE DEARDEN HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

Statistics collected for the first time from police forces across England and Wales show that only a quarter of misconduct investigations were concluded within the period, and just 13 people were dismissed.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) did not provide a full breakdown of the allegations made against police officers, but said they included rape, sexual harassment, abuse of position for a sexual purpose, and domestic violence. There were also complaints made by female suspects about the use of force by male officers, and by female police officers over the way they were treated by their colleagues.

Between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, the NPCC counted 1,177 cases of police-perpetrated violence against women and girls (VAWG) in total, of which 55 per cent were investigated as misconduct and 45 per cent were public complaints. A report published today said: "It is almost certain that this does not represent the true scale of all improper or prejudicial behaviours towards women and girls."

Many cases are still under investigation, but of those finalised, 70 per cent of conduct-related allegations and 91 per cent of complaints saw no further action. A total of 1,539 police officers and staff were involved in the investigations, making up 0.7 per cent of the total workforce.