Report: 1 in 100 police officers in England and Wales faced criminal charges last year.
According to new data obtained by the Observer, approximately one in 100 police officers in England and Wales faced criminal charges in 2022, including sexual offences. The Police Federation, the staff association for police officers, reportedly received 1,387 claims for legal support from its members facing criminal charges last year, a staggering 590% increase since 2012 when only 235 claims were made. The Police Federation of England and Wales represents around 140,000 former and serving police officers and spends millions of pounds each year on legal fees to help defend its members accused of misconduct or criminality.
Critics have suggested that the federation is a “major obstacle” in dealing with racism and misogyny within the police and is always ready to “defend the indefensible”. The investigation follows the announcement that former Police Federation chairman, John Apter, would not face prosecution over two sexual assault allegations made against him. The charges police officers face range from misconduct in public office to more serious crimes, including assault, sexual offences, and murder.
The Observer’s investigation comes amid a growing number of cases involving serious criminality by police officers, including the recent case of former Met officer David Carrick, who was jailed for life after he raped, assaulted, and inflicted “irretrievable destruction” on at least 12 women. In 2021, Wayne Couzens, another serving police officer, used his police ID and handcuffs to kidnap, rape, and murder 33-year-old Sarah Everard. The police missed clear chances to identify Couzens as a potential sex offender and a danger to women in the days, months, and even years leading up to Everard’s murder.
Last month, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said it was “crazy” that he was unable to sack “toxic” officers suspected of serious crimes after it was revealed 150 officers were under investigation for sexual misconduct or racism. In response to this growing crisis, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the home secretary, Suella Braverman, requesting new laws be pushed through urgently that would allow police chiefs to sack rogue officers on the spot. Khan warns that “profound changes to police vetting, conduct, and misconduct processes are urgently needed” and that existing laws mean the Met is still being forced to employ officers who have committed serious offences. Photo by André Gustavo Stumpf from Brasil, Wikimedia commons.