Monday, April 17, 2023
Sexual misconduct and racism in the police
The Guardian reports that sexual misconduct and racism claims against officers are proportionally higher in some English forces than at the Metropolitan police, as new figures also revealed starkly different approaches to recording.
The paper says that three forces – Essex, Suffolk and Staffordshire – had, by proportion, more officers under investigation due to allegations of racism than the Met, according to the snapshot of investigations covering the period of late January and early February:
While 30 officers were under investigation in Suffolk – a force of 1,298 – over allegations of racism and 37 at Staffordshire, the figure was as high as 157 at Essex police, according to data released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.
Essex police said this was because the force comprehensively followed Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) guidance that all public complaints around racial discrimination are recorded as an investigation at the point they are lodged. This differs to processes followed by other forces, some of which do not formally record discrimination allegations.
A spokesperson for the force, which has more than 3,400 officers, said: “Our approach ensures a better service to the complainant, as they receive a comprehensive report in response to their concerns and any issues arising about officer behaviour are identified. This does also mean that we would expect our figures to be higher than those of some other forces.”
Of the 157 Essex police officers under investigation as of 13 January, 70 have been told they have no case to answer. Eighty-six investigations are continuing.
Meanwhile, two forces – Staffordshire and Bedfordshire – had by proportion more officers officially under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct than the Met.
Nineteen officers were being investigated at Staffordshire and 14 at Bedfordshire, according to the snapshot of investigations.
Another force with a relatively high proportion of investigations into allegations of racism against its officers was the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, whose ranks had included Sarah Everard’s killer, Wayne Couzens, and the serial rapist David Carrick. Twelve officers were under investigation over alleged racism, including seven suspended ones.
The figures were obtained by the Guardian through multiple FoI requests, although some forces refused to provide any figures, claiming that doing so could lead to the identification of individuals. This included the British Transport Police.
However, the challenges of trying to understand the scale of the problem and comparing the approaches of different police forces was also illustrated by marked variations in the way different forces record complaints.
Staffordshire’s figures included some cases where an investigation was no longer active, due to limitations in the force’s recording system, which it is working to resolve.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the force said there had been an increase in officers under investigation and it believed this was “due to an increase in confidence in reporting and our robust stance”.
If this problem is to be rooted out then consistency in reporting and in the way these claims are investigated is crucial. The way these issues are dealt with is crucial to maintaining public confidence in the police.
The paper says that three forces – Essex, Suffolk and Staffordshire – had, by proportion, more officers under investigation due to allegations of racism than the Met, according to the snapshot of investigations covering the period of late January and early February:
While 30 officers were under investigation in Suffolk – a force of 1,298 – over allegations of racism and 37 at Staffordshire, the figure was as high as 157 at Essex police, according to data released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.
Essex police said this was because the force comprehensively followed Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) guidance that all public complaints around racial discrimination are recorded as an investigation at the point they are lodged. This differs to processes followed by other forces, some of which do not formally record discrimination allegations.
A spokesperson for the force, which has more than 3,400 officers, said: “Our approach ensures a better service to the complainant, as they receive a comprehensive report in response to their concerns and any issues arising about officer behaviour are identified. This does also mean that we would expect our figures to be higher than those of some other forces.”
Of the 157 Essex police officers under investigation as of 13 January, 70 have been told they have no case to answer. Eighty-six investigations are continuing.
Meanwhile, two forces – Staffordshire and Bedfordshire – had by proportion more officers officially under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct than the Met.
Nineteen officers were being investigated at Staffordshire and 14 at Bedfordshire, according to the snapshot of investigations.
Another force with a relatively high proportion of investigations into allegations of racism against its officers was the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, whose ranks had included Sarah Everard’s killer, Wayne Couzens, and the serial rapist David Carrick. Twelve officers were under investigation over alleged racism, including seven suspended ones.
The figures were obtained by the Guardian through multiple FoI requests, although some forces refused to provide any figures, claiming that doing so could lead to the identification of individuals. This included the British Transport Police.
However, the challenges of trying to understand the scale of the problem and comparing the approaches of different police forces was also illustrated by marked variations in the way different forces record complaints.
Staffordshire’s figures included some cases where an investigation was no longer active, due to limitations in the force’s recording system, which it is working to resolve.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the force said there had been an increase in officers under investigation and it believed this was “due to an increase in confidence in reporting and our robust stance”.
If this problem is to be rooted out then consistency in reporting and in the way these claims are investigated is crucial. The way these issues are dealt with is crucial to maintaining public confidence in the police.
