Almost 600 police officers across England and Wales were dismissed for misconduct in the year leading up to March 2024, according to figures released Tuesday. This marks a 50% increase from the previous year’s 394 dismissals as law enforcement faces mounting pressure to improve accountability after several high-profile scandals.
Among the officers dismissed, 74 were let go due to sexual offences and misconduct, while 18 faced termination over possession of indecent images of children. Dishonesty topped the reasons for dismissal, with 125 cases, and another 71 officers were sacked for discriminatory behaviour.
The reputation of UK policing has suffered after a series of disturbing incidents, most notably the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer from London’s Metropolitan Police. Another officer from the same unit was sentenced to 36 life terms last year after committing 71 sexual offences.
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding of the College of Policing expressed disappointment at the conduct but emphasized that the increase in dismissals reflects robust procedures aimed at quickly identifying and removing offenders.
As of early 2023, over a thousand officers were under investigation within the Met for domestic abuse and violence against women, adding to the urgent call for reform across the UK’s 147,000-strong police force.
