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Less than 1% of cases decided so far have seen officers fired, new figures show The figures include serious crimes and complaints from members of the public. More than 1,500 police officers and staff members have been accused of abusing women, including rape and sexual harassment, over a six-month period, but less than 1% have so far been fired, according to new reports.
Statistics collected for the first time from police forces in England and Wales show that only a quarter of misconduct investigations were concluded during the period and just 13 people were made redundant.
The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) did not provide a full breakdown of the allegations against the police officers, but said they included rape, sexual harassment, abuse of position for sexual purposes and domestic violence.
Suspects have also filed complaints about the use of force by police men and police women about the way they were treated by their colleagues.
Between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, the NPCC tallied a total of 1,177 cases of Police Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), of which 55% were investigated for misconduct and 45% were public complaints.
A report on Tuesday said: "This almost certainly does not represent the true extent of all inappropriate or harmful behavior towards women and girls."
Many cases are still under investigation, but of those that have been completed, 70% of conduct-related allegations and 91% of complaints have not been resolved.
A total of 1,539 police officers and staff were involved in the investigations, representing 0.7% of the total workforce in England and Wales.
For the Metropolitan Police, which has been the subject of concerns raised by Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, the figure was 0.5 per cent, with 217 people in driving cases and 28 the subject of public complaints.
Deputy Police Chief Maggie Blyth, the VAWG's national police coordinator, said a series of horrifying cases had created a "moment in time to see and recognize this as a threat to our society and to turn the tide for the men who They are violent with women. ”.
She told a news conference that the NPCC was asking the government to change regulations to make it easier to fire officers accused, even if not convicted, of abusing women.
The agency called on the Interior Ministry to strengthen existing processes, including a ban on anyone who has been convicted or warned from serving in the police, and the review of those accused of crimes against women.
The NPCC also encourages police chiefs to use expedited misconduct hearings to expedite firings.
"We have to find ways to get rid of these people," Chief Detective Blyth said. “As we call it, more people have more confidence to report and more reports are coming in.”
A national threat assessment of the scope of violence against women and girls is due to take place next month, after areas such as terrorism and child sexual abuse were added to the government's "strategic policing requirements."
The Center for Women's Justice, which has drawn damning criticism of police domestic violence, said the figures show "the serious scope of police sexual misconduct and other forms of violence and misogyny against women."
“The low percentage of cases resulting in malpractice remains concerning,” a spokesperson added. "We have seen in the Couzens and Carrick cases that failure to act or link to repeated reports can have devastating consequences."
Andrea Simon, director of the Coalition to End Violence Against Women, said the statistics "are the latest in a wave of evidence showing the shocking number of police officers who get away with perpetrating violence against women and girls." .
She added: 'It is clear from these latest national figures that very often there are no significant consequences for police and staff who abuse women. In fact, these numbers show that a lack of accountability is the norm, not the exception.
"We are clear that these data are just the tip of the iceberg, as many women choose not to report VAWG to the police."
There are plans to set up a national helpline, possibly run by a charity, so that women can report crimes without having to contact the police directly.
Farah Nazeer, executive director of Women's Aid, said the numbers were "completely unacceptable" but the publication showed that steps were being taken for a "desperately needed transformation" in the police force.
“This data shows the staggering scale of violence against women and girls, and how far we are from keeping women and children safe: only 6% of more than half a million cases have been cleared up with a suspect charged. ”, he added. "These statistics have deeply disturbing implications for women's already low levels of trust in the criminal justice system."
David Carrick's case showed how he was allowed to remain on the force despite numerous reports of domestic abuse and other incidents.
The NPCC said it would publish the figures annually as part of a new framework around violence against women and girls, and that work was underway to strengthen surveys and verification standards.
Chief Detective Blyth acknowledged that women's trust in police was "at the limit" and warned: "I don't think this change will happen overnight. This is our responsibility to women and girls... transformational change will take time.
The statistics were published as a trawl of the National Police database which continues to verify any information or complaint against officers and service personnel.
New national vetting guidelines are also being consulted, and the Metropolitan Police announced on Monday that it had launched an initiative to re-screen anyone whose "behavior is identified as concerning".
A Home Office spokesman said: “An internal review of police dismissals is underway to ensure the system is fair and effective in removing officers who do not meet the standards we expect.
“We are committed to helping officers strengthen their response to these heinous crimes, which is why we said last month that police must address violence against women and girls as a national threat.”
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