"Disappointing"

Misconduct: 600 British police officers fired

(Bild: Brian Jackson)

In the space of a year, almost 600 police officers in Wales and England have been dismissed for misconduct. In the twelve months to March 2024, the number of dismissals had risen by 50 percent to 593.

The shocking figures were published on Tuesday by the College of Policing, a training organization for police forces in England and Wales. They include 74 officers dismissed for sexual offenses and misconduct.

Dishonesty most common reason for dismissal
In a further 18 cases, the reason for dismissal was the possession of abusive images of minors and in 71 cases discriminatory behavior. According to the organization, the most common reason for dismissal was dishonesty, with 125 cases.

It is "extremely disappointing to see that the conduct of a number of officers falls well below the standard we have set (...) and which the public rightly expects", explained Tom Harding from the College of Policing.

Many scandals in the recent past
The British police have been criticized for some time due to a series of scandals. It was only in February that a police officer was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and sexually assaulting several women using his official authority. The abduction, rape and murder of Londoner Sarah Everard by a police officer in 2021 had previously caused consternation.