Police officers disciplined for misconduct in 12 months

Mick Meaney, RINF News |

Image credit: Flickr / Kenjonbro

Freedom of Information Act figures obtained by RINF News show that 263 Metropolitan Police offers were disciplined for misconduct between 2011 and 2012.

163 officers were disciplined for neglect or failure in duty, while 50 officers were dismissed in the last 12 months.

The offences also include assault, rape, harassment and unlawful arrest.

The Freedom of Information Act request was filed by RINF News on the 27th August 2012, and was completed by the Metropolitan Police on the 28th September 2012.

The Met said:

The MPS expects its staff to behave professionally, ethically and with the
utmost of integrity at all times.  Any instance where the conduct of our
staff brings the MPS into disrepute is treated extremely seriously in line
with MPS policy.

The chart below shows the number of officers who attended misconduct meetings, broken down by the result.

The chart below gives a breakdown of the allegation type which was proven against the 263 officers.

Code

Category

Definitions

Home Office subgroup

A

Serious Non-sexual Assault

Section 18 or Section 20 assaults, but up
to and including homicide

Oppressive Behaviour

B

Sexual assault

 

Including female or male rape, attempted
rape and paedophilia (including sexual assaults on children).

Oppressive Behaviour

C

Other assault

 

A person serving with the police must never
knowingly use more force than is reasonable, nor should they abuse their
authority. This category includes any unjustified use of force or personal
violence (but not technical assaults arising from unlawful arrest)and any incident involving police dogs or police
horses where the incident is attributable to the conduct of the member in
control, unless the severity of injury puts them into category ‘A’ above.

Oppressive Behaviour

D

Oppressive conduct or harassment

Unjustified interference, questioning or
surveillance. Improper requests for driving documents.

Oppressive Behaviour

E

Unlawful/unnecessary arrest or detention

Where a person serving with the police
makes any unlawful or unnecessary arrest or detains any person unnecessarily.

Oppressive Behaviour

F

Discriminatory behaviour

Acts toward an individual that a person
serving with the police may have come into contact with whilst on or off duty,
which amount to an abuse of authority or maltreatment. Includes acts
committed on grounds of another person’s nationality or ethnicity; sexual
orientation; or religion.

Discriminatory Behaviour

G

Irregularity in relation to
evidence/perjury

It is of paramount importance that the
public has faith in the honesty and integrity of all those serving with the
police. All such persons should therefore be open and truthful in their
dealings; avoid being improperly beholden to any person or institution; and discharge
their duties with integrity. A breach of this category includes perjury or
other allegations of falsehood, including an allegation that evidence was
obtained by irregularity or under duress.

Malpractice

H

Corrupt practice

It is of paramount importance that the
public has faith in the honesty and integrity of all persons serving with the
police and that they avoid being improperly beholden to any person or
institution; and discharge their duties with
integrity. A breach of this category includes any criminal allegation of
corruption or any other form of corrupt practice.

Malpractice

J

Mishandling of property

A person serving with the police must
exercise reasonable care to prevent loss or damage to property (excluding
their own personal property but including police property). A breach of this
category includes the theft or loss of property (including money);
unreasonable retention of property; damage to property in Police custody;
failure to account for money or property; improper disposal of property. In
all cases save complaints of theft, these matters should be included under S
(Failures in duty) if the complaint is specifically one of negligence, with
no implication of dishonesty.

Malpractice

K

Breach of Code A PACE on stop and search

Unjustified use of the
relevant power, particularly where reasonable suspicion cannot be supported;
failure to act appropriately before or during a search or to make the
necessary record where practicable.

Failures in Duty

L

Breach of Code B PACE
on searching of premises and seizure of property

Unauthorised entry on
search; failure to provide information to occupier; improper or excessive
search; failure to record searches properly; not securing premises where
necessary; breach of rules on seizure or retention.

Failures in Duty

Code

Category

Definitions

Home Office subgroup

M

Breach of Code C PACE
on detention, treatment and questioning

Failure to inform
detained persons of their rights and entitlements; unjustified obstruction of
access to legal advice; holding persons incommunicado; not providing
necessary support/advice to young/vulnerable detained persons; failure to
maintain proper custody/property records; not providing mandatory physical
conditions whenever practicable; not carrying out searches on detained
persons in accordance with the Code; conducting review of detention
improperly or at inappropriate intervals. Failure to caution or charge when
required; interviewing oppressively or in inappropriate circumstances; not
making proper records of interviews and allowing them to be checked by
suspects where practicable; not providing interpreters where necessary.

Failures in Duty

N

Breach of Code D PACE on identification
procedures

Failure to provide suspects with information about
identification procedures or to offer them a choice between procedures where
appropriate; not conducting or recording identification procedures properly;
not obtaining necessary consents to the taking of fingerprints, photographs
or body samples; not providing suspects with opportunity to witness
destruction of fingerprints or photographs where appropriate.

Failures in Duty

P

Breach of Code E PACE
on tape recording

Failure to tape record
(without good reason); failure to handle tapes openly and in front of the
suspect or to maintain adequate tape security; not making a proper record of
objections, complaints, breaks etc.)

Failures in Duty

Q

Lack of fairness and impartiality

A person serving with the police has a
particular responsibility to act with fairness and impartiality in all their
dealings with the public and colleagues. A breach of this code includes
unjustified interference, questioning or surveillance, and improper requests
for driving documents.

Discriminatory Behaviour

R

Multiple or unspecified breaches of PACE
which cannot be allocated to a specific code

 

Failures in Duty

S

Other neglect or Failure in duty

A person serving with
the police should be conscientious and diligent in the performance of their
duties. They should attend work promptly when rostered
or informed of their duties. If absent through sickness or injury, they
should avoid activities likely to retard their return to duty.

Failures in Duty

T

Other irregularity in procedure

Other procedural irregularities not caused
by neglect except breaches in the Codes of Practice.

Failures in Duty

U

Incivility, impoliteness and intolerance

A person serving with the police should
treat members of the public and colleagues with courtesy and respect,
avoiding abusive or deriding attitudes or behaviour. In particular they must
avoid: favouritism of an individual or group; all forms of harassment,
victimisation or unreasonable discrimination; and overbearing conduct to a
colleague, particularly to one junior in rank or service.

Incivility

V

Traffic Irregularity

Complaints about the driving or use of
vehicles on Police business (but not about Police conduct in dealing with
civilian traffic).

Traffic Irregularity

W

Other

E.g. criminal damage (except in connection
with searches of property).

Other

X

Improper disclosure of information

From police, national or other records,
whether by paper, electronic means, or any other means.

Failures in Duty

Y

Other sexual conduct

Indecent assaults; sexual harassment;
soliciting of prostitutes;incidents relating
to the collection or use of child pornography, either in or out of the
workplace.

Oppressive Behaviour