By Jack Hardy
Police officers who preyed upon women and posted homemade pornography to social media are among hundreds allowed to keep their jobs in recent years.
An investigation by the Telegraph found that the country’s rank-and-file continues to be plagued by officers whose wrongdoing online ranges from sexual harassment to racism.
Most received little more than a slap on the wrist after their behavior came to light, with some facing no repercussions from internal disciplinary probes.
The revelations, which come amid an unprecedented crisis of confidence in British policing, are said by one former chief constable to be “the tip of the iceberg.
Just 6pc of investigated officers were dismissed.
The Telegraph can disclose that at least 921 officers have been investigated for their conduct in WhatsApp messages, texts, social media messages, or posts since the start of 2017.
Yet only six percent of the investigations led to the officers being dismissed, according to the data obtained from 29 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Many forces were found to have given out written warnings for behavior that many would consider worthy of immediate dismissal, including the abuse of police powers for sexual gain and sending indecent images to colleagues via social media.
Reprimanded officers also routinely escaped with light punishments such as “reflective practice” — thinking about what they have done — or “management action”, which amounts to a verbal dressing down by a superior.
A Metropolitan Police officer who sent a racist WhatsApp message, a Cleveland Police officer who demanded “nude pics” from a female probationer, and a Durham Constabulary officer who sent sexual videos to colleagues are all among those given “reflective practice.”
Similarly, a scolding was deemed sufficient for a Durham Constabulary officer who used his work phone to try to “get close” to a member of the public’s wife and a Metropolitan Police officer who bombarded an individual with “unwanted” texts, calls, and emails.
In one particularly bizarre case, an officer in London found to have “created, uploaded and distributed pornography on social media” received nothing more than a verbal rebuke.
The Telegraph uncovered many cases where officers faced “no action” at all for predatory or inappropriate behavior.
They include a Cleveland Police officer who contacted a female member of the public he met during the course of his duties, to whom he made a comment over text about “the size of her breasts” before trying to pursue “an improper relationship”.
Even in cases where it was unclear what discipline the officers faced, a grim picture is still painted of the culture in policing’s dark recesses.
In such investigations, officers were found to have distributed extreme pornography, targeted vulnerable women for sexual purposes, and stalked others.
‘Highly sexualized culture
Campaigners and policing insiders say The Telegraph’s findings add to a growing body of evidence that police misconduct proceedings are not fit for purpose.
Sue Fish, the former chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, who has been outspoken about sexism within the profession, said she was “unsurprised but deeply angry.”
“That is the tip of the iceberg — actually getting to a misconduct hearing — the number of things that don’t get past any threshold, get any investigation, never get reported,” she said.
“It paints a worrying, mildly terrifying picture.”
She suggested the problem was rooted in policing being “a macho profession” with a “highly sexualized culture”, where misconduct panels were too ready to listen to an accused officers’ colleagues singing their praises while victims were marginalized.
“It fails and continues to fail,” she said of the police disciplinary régime.
Harriet Wistrich, founder of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said: “The police leadership really needs to get a grip on this and create a zero-tolerance culture for such misogyny, or we will have yet more high-profile cases where serving officers are found to have carried out the most appalling crimes of sexual violence against women.”
Deniz Uğur, deputy director of End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “The outcomes of these misconduct investigations shed a light on an institutional culture which enables officers to evade accountability for abuse.
“It is clear that core processes around the handling of misconduct investigations are inconsistent and need root-and-branch reform. The institution of policing is badly failing women.”
‘Nobody is above the law.’
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for misconduct, said: “The vast majority of police officers and staff fulfill their duties in serving the public to the highest standard, but we recognize that there is a tiny minority who conduct themselves in a way which grossly undermines public trust and confidence in policing.
“We will investigate incidences of misconduct and take robust action where necessary.
“It is down to everyone in policing to maintain the highest standards of integrity and professionalism and to report any colleagues who fall short of those standards.
“We recognize that if an offender is in a position of power, it can be a barrier to a victim reporting. We need to make sure that strong processes are in place so that victims have the confidence to come forward.
“All forces have a dedicated team that investigates complaints against officers. These departments work to strict guidelines, run confidential reporting phone lines for both the public and colleagues to raise concerns, and are regularly independently inspected.
“Additionally, offences which are especially serious must be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who will make a decision as to whether to independently investigate. Where an officer faces allegations of gross misconduct, the case is heard by a panel led by an independent, legally qualified chair.
“Officers will face criminal investigation and will be dealt with directly based upon the evidence presented, as nobody is above the law.”