Hundreds of police officers dismissed for bad behaviour

Hundreds of police officers in England and Wales were dismissed for bad behaviour in 2023, new figures show.

According to the College of Policing’s latest barred list data, 593 officers were dismissed and barred from returning to the profession in the year to March 2024. This represents an increase of 50% on the previous year.

The College of Policing said that, while the majority of those dismissed were police constables (519), two chief officers were added this year.

Dishonesty was the most common reason for disimissal, followed by powers/policies or procedures and sexual offences or misconduct.

“It is of course, hugely disappointing to see the conduct of a number of officers falling far below the standard that we set for policing and which the public rightly expects. However, these figures show that we have effective, robust procedures in place to identify and deal with these officers swiftly, and to prevent them from holding future roles in within the police.

“These figures show that there is nowhere to hide for people who fail to meet the high standards set across our police forces. Their behaviour tarnishes policing and erodes public trust. The service will continue working to ensure we attract the right people into policing, ensuring that those that who fail to meet these high standards have no future in policing.”

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, Director of Operational Standards at the College of Policing

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