Misconduct and Gross Misconduct, 2021 – 2024
Date of request: 17 January 2025
Reference: 090/25
Request
Questions have been copied below, in bold, with our responses following each question.
Response
I would like to request this information for the last 4 years. If this time frame is too broad I am happy to refine the scope to 3 years.
- The total number of police officers accused of misconduct
From 2021 – 2024, 191 officers have had allegations made against them that, if proved, would amount to misconduct or gross misconduct.
For clarity, given the wording of your subsequent questions, this has been broken down in the table below to show the number of officers who have been the subject of allegations that would amount to misconduct and gross misconduct, in each year.
| Officers subject to allegations amounting to misconduct or gross misconduct | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
| Gross Misconduct | 30 | 19 | 42 | 33 | 124 |
| Misconduct | 17 | 12 | 20 | 18 | 67 |
| Total | 47 | 31 | 62 | 51 | 191 |
- A breakdown of the number that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Hearings relate to Gross Misconduct cases only. Of the subjects with allegations assessed as Gross Misconduct, 43 have proceeded to a Hearing. This includes only finalised cases, in which the hearing has taken place. This figure has been broken down by year in our response to question 3 below.
- A breakdown of the outcomes in each case that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Please see the table below. As with the previous table above, the year is based on when the case was first recorded, rather than when the outcome was finalised. You will note that no gross misconduct cases recorded in 2024 requiring a hearing have yet been finalised.
| Outcome, shown by year case recorded | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Grand Total |
| Referral to Proceedings | 21 | 14 | 8 | 43 | |
| Dismissal | 12 | 6 | 5 | 23 | |
| Final Written Warning | 1 | 1 | |||
| No Action | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Would Have Been Dismissed | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 | |
| Grand Total | 21 | 14 | 8 | 43 |
For additional context, the below chart shows the subjects with allegations assessed as Gross Misconduct from each year, with cases that are still Live.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Grand Total | |
| Live | 5 | 3 | 34 | 32 | 74 |
- A breakdown of the type of misconduct alleged (e.g. Dishonesty, abuse of authority, discrimination)
The table below shows a breakdown of the allegation types recorded for the above cases. Multiple subjects can be linked to an allegation, and multiple allegations can be linked to a case. As such, the total within this table is higher than that shown for question 1 above.
| Row Labels | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Grand Total |
| A) Delivery of duties and service | 12 | 20 | 19 | 6 | 57 |
| B) Police powers, policies and procedures | 16 | 7 | 19 | 13 | 55 |
| C) Handling of or damage to property/premises | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| D) Access and/or disclosure of information | 9 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 32 |
| E) Use of police vehicles | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 | |
| F) Discriminatory behaviour | 9 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 29 |
| G) Abuse of position/corruption | 19 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 53 |
| H) Individual behaviours | 15 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 52 |
| J) Sexual conduct | 15 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 58 |
| K) Discreditable conduct | 38 | 7 | 37 | 56 | 138 |
| L) Other | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Grand Total | 140 | 80 | 136 | 136 | 492 |
- Please provide copies of summaries of the Modus Operandi (MO) sections for incident reports relating to misconduct cases that went to a hearing ensuring that all personal data is redacted to align with privacy regulation.
Summaries of all finalised cases that have led to a hearing are published on our website for each year since 2018 and can be accessed via this link. The cases that went to a hearing are all those listed as gross misconduct. This information is therefore already available in the public domain and so falls within the section 21 exemption of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 21 is an absolute and class based exemption and as such does not require a harm and public interest test.
This serves as a partial refusal notice under section 17(1) of the FOI Act.
- The outcome of the above hearings
Please see our response to question 3 above.
- How many officers resigned before the proceedings were completed
Of the 191 subjects with allegations assessed as Misconduct or Gross Misconduct, 92 have cases that are now finalised. Of these finalised cases, 38 left the force before the proceedings were completed, and 8 have the leaver reason: ‘resigned’.
Of the subjects with live investigations, 14 no longer work for the force and have therefore also left the force before the proceedings were completed; 8 of these have the leaver reason: ‘resigned’.
As such, a total of 16 of the 191 subjects have left the force before proceedings were completed, with a recorded leaver reason: ‘resigned’.