Misconduct (FOI ref: 122A/25)
Request
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding police officer misconduct. Please could you provide the following information:
- The total number of police officers accused of misconduct
- A breakdown of the number that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
- A breakdown of the outcomes in each case that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
- A breakdown of the type of misconduct alleged (e.g. Dishonesty, abuse of authority, discrimination)
- The outcome of the above hearings
- How many officers resigned before the proceedings were completed
Response
Please find attached our response.
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request may be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting the data.
The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of data which has relevance to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.
If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.
It is important to note the force operates under the Police Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Behaviour. This includes challenging any inappropriate behaviour or action which would discredit the police service or undermine public confidence in policing.
Our Professional Standards department, take a robust stance and are committed to rooting out abuse of power, criminality and corruption whenever we find evidence of it. This is done by carrying out thorough investigations, offering support and dealing appropriately with anyone found to be acting in an inappropriate manner.