2,000 officers accused of sex offences in the past four years and punished in secret

Home Office minister Damian Hinds today claimed the police feel ‘more let down than anybody’ about the murder of Sarah Everard by Britain’s most hated officer Wayne Couzens.

Almost 2,000 police and community support officers have been accused of sex offences including rape, sexual assault and child sex offences over the past four years, official data has revealed amid the outcry over Sarah’s horrific abduction and murder by a serving Met policeman.   

As it was revealed that many other rogue officers are being punished in secret hearings and granted anonymity in many of the most serious cases, Mr Hinds told Times Radio: ‘I think everybody is shaken by this terrible case. It is also really important to take a moment once again to pay tribute to all the men and women who serve in our policing service who feel more let down than anybody by this terrible sequence of events.

‘They put themselves in danger day after day and in protection of the rest of us and they deserve our support.

‘It is actually more important even for them than for anyone else that this inquiry gets to the bottom of this.’ He added: ‘This case goes to the heart of that question of trust. 

Couzens’ horrific crime has shaken trust in the police, and today it emerged 2,000 police and community support officers have been accused of sex offences including rape, sexual assault and child sex offences since 2017.

The allegations – made mostly against men – include more than 370 of sexual assault, nearly 100 of rape and 18 of child sex offences, according to Freedom of Information figures – and just eight per cent of those accusations led to a dismissal, 39 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales said.    

Police officers across the country accused of serious offences – including having sex with a female colleague on police premises, sleeping with a drug dealer and even taking cash from a dead person – have been granted anonymity after being dismissed or disciplined in secret hearings.

Forces are reportedly holding hearings in private despite misconduct legislation being designed to maintain ‘transparency where possible’. They are reportedly sending out ambiguous and anonymised misconduct outcomes that fail to detail the officer’s rank and nature of their offending and have blocked journalists from making the argument for open proceedings.

Official figures seen by the Times show forces also delete public misconduct outcomes relating to the most serious offenders, including the notice that detailed the sacking of serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and murdered Miss Everard in March. 

It comes three days after it was announced that Baroness Casey will lead a review into Scotland Yard’s culture and vetting processes which will re-examine historical sexual misconduct allegations involving officers still serving in the force.

The review, in response to Sarah Everard’s murder by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, will re-examine historical sexual misconduct allegations involving officers still serving in the force.

A separate independent inquiry announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel last week will investigate the ‘systemic’ failures that allowed Couzens, 48, to be employed as a police officer despite reports of indecent exposure and other signs he could be dangerous. 

The parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer was said to have been referred to as ‘The Rapist’ by former colleagues in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary because he made women feel uncomfortable. In March this year, he used his police-issue handcuffs and warrant card to stage a fake arrest of Miss Everard, a 33-year-old marketing manager, before killing her.

The Times reported that in the past month there were more than 40 misconduct outcome notices published relating to officers and staff in England and Wales – and nearly half of them were anonymised.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that there have been 1,147 hearings since 2018. Forces were unable to say whether 502 of them were held in public or private. Of the remaining 645 hearings, one in four were held in private, the paper added. 

The National Police Chiefs’ Council told the paper: ‘Without question, it’s expected and important in terms of accountability and public trust for every force to demonstrate the greatest levels of transparency possible around misconduct hearings and outcomes.’

The body said dismissed officers were placed on the barred list. However, the list is only searchable by the name of the officer, which is not possible in cases where they are given anonymity.

The End Violence Against Women Coalition – which includes organisations such as Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid – said few officers faced ‘any meaningful consequences’ for sexual misconduct against women and girls.

The group’s deputy director Deniz Ugur called for a radical overhaul of how police respond to violence against women, adding: ‘Ultimately, we need to address these widespread institutional failings before we can even begin to address women’s confidence in the police.’

A separate study from Bournemouth University found there were 514 proven cases of sexual misconduct across 33 forces in the past five years – the most common of which was ‘abuse of position for a sexual purpose’.

According to the Bournemouth research, the most common sexual misconduct offence involved officers allegedly using their power to form a relationship with a victim for sexually motivated purposes.

One such officer was detective constable Jatinder Bunger who was jailed for ten months in May. The former Lancashire Police officer admitted sending sexual messages to victims and obtaining intimate images from the phones of vulnerable women – including a rape victim.

The research also found that, of the 514 proven cases of sexual misconduct, 15 per cent involved officers who were at sergeant rank or higher.

Thirty officers were at a senior level of inspector or above – with the highest-ranking being an assistant chief constable. Separate data shows there were more than 500 claims of sexual offences against officers and staff at Scotland Yard between 2016 and 2020.

The findings are the latest blow for the police service and come just a week after the Mail revealed that nearly 1,000 officers and staff have been probed for posting offensive social media content.

The freedom of information figures are set to be broadcast in Channel 4’s Cops on Trial: Dispatches tonight.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Louise Rolfe told the programme: ‘We absolutely must, in policing, get to the bottom of what might have been behind these cases.

‘We know, very sadly, a small number of people are attracted to policing because of the power, the control and the opportunity it affords them. Our vetting processes are designed to root those people out.’

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was down to individual forces to stamp out abuses of police powers.