Police Sexual Misconduct Allegations Soar 67 Per Cent In One Year
British Police Officers in London England UK
4 min read
Allegations relating to sexual conduct involving police officers have soared by more than two thirds last year, according to analysis of new government data.
The number of allegations relating to sexual conduct – including sexual assault and harassment – against police officers rose to 819 in 2024, up 67 per cent from the 491 recorded in 2023.
The police misconduct figures were published this week by the Home Office and relate to forces in both England and Wales.
The 819 reported cases were the total number of sexual misconduct allegations reported through three different routes, from the normal complaints route through to the most severe known as “recordable conduct matters” – those where an action has had an adverse effect on a member of the public or appears to have resulted in the death or serious injury of any person.
Recordable conduct matters relating to sexual conduct involving a police officer soared by 84 per cent last year from 246 to 452, seeing the steepest rise of all categories.
The police force has faced increased scrutiny in recent years following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer Wayne Couzens.
Following the tragic case, the Metropolitan Police Service appointed Baroness Louise Casey to lead an independent review of its culture and standards of behaviour, with the findings in 2023 pointing to a culture of misogyny within the force.
Last year, the government announced reforms to address flaws in police vetting and misconduct processes, as part of a bid to tackle violence against women and girls.
Overall, 54,647 formal complaints were made against police officers in 2024, an increase of 13 per cent from around 47,500 in 2023.
The Home Office said that due to changes to the counting methodology, it is not possible to make comparisons to data published before 2023.
According to the Home Office, the size of the police workforce has grown substantially in recent years, with the number of police officers growing by 15 per cent between March 2019 and March 2023.
While the most recent growth figures were not available, the latest data release highlighted that the impact of a larger workforce has affected the volume of allegations.
The number of police officers and staff working in the Professional Standards function also grew in recent years, increasing resources to facilitate the investigation and finalisation of a greater number of cases.
Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Sheffield Layla Skinns told PoliticsHome said: "The increase in allegations of sexual misconduct over the last year shows that, rightly, there is growing police attention on such matters."
"However, more needs to be done to address the institutional sexism and misogyny highlighted by Casey, that underpins it, and to address the 'rotten barrels', not just the 'rotten apples'."
A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson said: “Police officers and staff should always be held to the highest standards, with those who do not meet these standards swiftly identified and removed.
“Any complaints against police officers and staff will always be reviewed thoroughly to determine what action, if any, is required.
“Much work is ongoing to ensure in policing we have a culture where the public and colleagues feel empowered to report concerns, including misogyny and sexism, if we want to see sustainable change. Those who are not fit to wear the uniform must know that there is nowhere to hide."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The public rightly expect the highest level of conduct from police officers who are responsible for protecting them and enforcing the law.
“We are taking concrete action drive standards up across the country. This includes placing vetting standards on a statutory footing, empowering chief constables to promptly dismiss officers who fail their vetting and creating a presumption of dismissal for proven gross misconduct.
“Forces are encouraging police officers and the public to raise conduct issues, while increasing the size of their professional standards departments to meet this demand and root out those who are not fit to serve.”
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