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Police officers accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse, ITV Meridian investigation finds
Tap to watch special report about allegations of police misconduct by ITV Meridian’s Joe Coshan
More than 400 allegations of police misconduct were made against officers working in the Meridian region over the last ten years, an ITV Meridian investigation has found.
Data obtained via Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Dorset Police has uncovered dozens of officers being accused of crimes including: Rape, sexual assault, child sex offences and domestic abuse.
There were 443 allegations made against 283 officers across the four police forces that provided us with the data we asked for, as well as 85 police staff members accused of 146 crimes.
Our investigation also laid bare more than 100 allegations of sexual advances, touching and comments towards colleagues working in the four police forces, which mirrors many of the concerns highlighted in His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) latest findings on vetting.
A culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour towards female police officers and staff “still exists and is even prevalent in many forces,” the report concluded.
Former Police Constable Rio Argent was sexually assaulted by a senior officer, who exploited his position of power. She believes many more allegations of police sexual misconduct are going unreported because survivors do not trust the system. She has waived her right to anonymity to speak out - Watch Rio's interview in full here.
Charity Rape Crisis say our findings are another “horrifying example of how systemic misogyny within policing has caused harm to women and girls.”
Amelia Handy, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said: “Police officers who perpetrate violence against women and girls must be held accountable for their actions.
“In recent years, much work has been done to root out misogyny in policing, and it is more important than ever for this work to continue as so much more needs to be addressed.
“Restoring faith in the system means ensuring that gross misconduct is investigated quickly and taking a zero-tolerance approach to any and all abusive behaviours.
“Women and girls deserve to see change, deserve to feel safe, and deserve to feel that the police will do their jobs.”
An HMICFRS spokesperson told ITV Meridian: “Female officers told us they were worried about the repercussions of reporting this type of behaviour, and some believed their forces took criminal allegations from the public more seriously than internal allegations.
"We also found that final assessments on complaint or conduct matters were too lenient. We made 43 recommendations to address these problems.
“If the police are to protect their own officers and staff and rebuild public confidence, vetting must be much more rigorous and sexual misconduct taken more seriously.”
Kent Police
There were 70 allegations made against 74 Kent Police officers and specials since 2017, including:
19 allegations of rape
47 allegations of sexual assault
two child sex offence allegations
one allegation of voyeurism
one allegation of sexual activity in a public lavatory
50 of the allegations involved no further criminal action - but consisted of nine arrests, 23 interviews under caution and 18 internal investigations.
One officer was cautioned and 14 officers or specials remain under criminal investigation.
Five people were charged - of those, three were convicted and two face a court hearing.
But more officers and specials - 17 - were referred to misconduct proceedings.
Kent Police say this “demonstrates how we can and do take disciplinary action when an officer is suspected of wrongdoing even if the strength of the evidence against them does not meet the higher threshold for prosecution.”
Seven officers were dismissed or would’ve been dismissed, five were not proven, four have misconduct hearings pending and one officer was given a final written warning for an allegation of sexual assault - an outcome also given to four members of staff for the same allegation.
Tap to watch full interview with Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott about allegations of misconduct in Kent Police
There were also 18 members of Kent Police Staff accused of 19 crimes, including:
Six allegations of rape
Nine allegations of sexual assault
Four child sex offence allegations
One staff member is currently under investigation, One was charged and the proceedings were discontinued and 17 allegations involved no further criminal action.
Chief Superintendent Jon Armory, Head of Professional Standards, said: ‘Kent Police officers and staff are held to very high standards of professional conduct and we do not hesitate to take action when someone’s behaviour falls short of what is expected of them. Allegations of a sexual nature are among the most serious we deal with and are investigated thoroughly based on the evidence available.’
‘Of the 70 allegations made against officers in the last seven years, there has been sufficient evidence to commence criminal prosecution on six occasions to date.
‘Whilst anyone can be a victim of a sexual offence, it is women and girls who are disproportionately affected and tackling violence against them is Kent Police’s top priority. Whilst only a small number of officers have been proven to have committed acts of sexual misconduct over the last seven years, just one is one too many and is something we do not tolerate.’
Sussex Police
Since 2015, there were 129 allegations of sexual offences made against 127 Sussex Police officers, 26 of which are subject to live investigations.
Sussex Police did not provide a breakdown of how the allegations were categorised, but say they involved “sexual assault, sexual harassment, other sexual conduct, abuse of position for a sexual purpose, and abuse of position for the purpose of pursuing an inappropriate relationship.”
The majority of allegations - 79 - involved no further action being taken.
16 officers were dismissed or would’ve been dismissed, two were given written warnings, three were given final written warnings.
During the same time period, there were 26 allegations of sexual misconduct made against 26 Sussex Police staff members, five of which are live cases.
There were 44 results of ‘no case to answer or referral to Reflective Practice Review Process (RPRP)’ against officers and staff. RPRP is designed to give officers and line managers an opportunity to address issues. It is not a disciplinary process or misconduct finding.
According to the IOPC, ‘RPRP is designed to be a way of dealing with relatively low-level misconduct or performance issues in a proportionate way’, which means “it cannot be used to block promotions or job moves.”
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Chief Superintendent Steve Rayland, head of the force Professional Standards department at Sussex Police said in a statement: ‘We expect the highest personal and professional standards of our officers and staff and any allegations of behaviour that do not meet those standards are rigorously investigated in accordance with the relevant Police Conduct Regulations.
‘All sexual-related complaints, misconduct and allegations of inappropriate or criminal behaviour are taken seriously and reviewed by our Professional Standards Department to ensure that they are investigated proportionately. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing, appropriate action will be taken which could range from a disciplinary hearing to criminal charges depending on the nature of the case.
‘We will also do everything we can to ensure victims are supported and feel able to speak out about inappropriate or criminal behaviour involving our officers or staff.
‘We have invested in a comprehensive programme of cultural change towards challenging, reporting and tackling unethical or unprofessional behaviour and ensuring a culture where colleagues have the confidence to come forward and report such behaviour.’
Surrey Police
There were 204 allegations were made against 54 Surrey Police officers, since 2013, including:
16 allegations of rape
Two allegations of sexual assault
More than 90 allegations that were categorised as ‘sexual comments, ‘sexual advances’ or ‘sexual touching’ of colleagues
77 of the 204 allegations involved no further criminal action
10 officers were dismissed without notice, six were given final written warnings
There were 88 allegations made against 33 members of Surrey Police staff, including:
Three allegations of rape
Four allegations of sexual assault
More than 50 allegations described as ‘sexual comments, ‘sexual advances’ or ‘sexual touching’ of colleagues
Five staff members were dismissed without notice
Seven were given final written warnings
14 employees faced no further action.
In a statement, Surrey Police’s Head of Professional Standards, Superintendent Andy Rundle, said: “As a service, we are committed to rooting out anyone who breaches the high standards of behaviour we expect, whether in relation to sexual misconduct or otherwise, and to empowering the public, officers and staff to report any concerns.
"All employees receive training on the Code of Ethics, the Code of Conduct and must complete mandatory sessions on abuse of position for a sexual purpose.
“Any allegations of inappropriate or criminal behaviour are taken very seriously and where there is evidence of wrongdoing, appropriate action will be taken including misconduct and criminal investigations depending on the nature of the case.
“I hope the public can be reassured by our ongoing commitment to be transparent about such incidents as for many years in Surrey, we have proactively published upcoming misconduct hearings on our website and publicly released details of officers or staff members if they are charged with a crime.
“Perpetrators of sexual or domestic abuse have no place in our Force and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure any concerns are being reported confidently and investigated thoroughly.”
Dorset Police
There were 40 allegations made against 28 Dorset Police officers, since 2013, including:
Four allegations of rape
Four allegations of sexual assault
Six allegations of assault
One of manslaughter
Seven officers were dismissed without notice, three of which were sent to prison, including PC Ravi Canyhe, PC Timothy Brehmer and PC Allan Smith.
During the same period, there were 13 allegations made against 8 members of Dorset Police staff, including:
Five child sex offence allegations
Three allegations of assault
Two allegations of harassment.
One allegation of domestic abuse, ABH and extreme pornography
Following misconduct proceedings, three staff members were dismissed without notice, two would’ve been dismissed, two resigned and one was given a final written warning. Two faced police cautions and one person was sent to prison.
In a statement, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Lyne, said: “Members of the public should quite rightly have the confidence that police officers and staff strive to attain the highest personal and professional standard and when these standards fall below expectations, we will ensure swift and robust action is taken.
“Any allegations of behaviour that do not meet the expected standards are rigorously investigated in accordance with the relevant Police Conduct Regulations and a full criminal investigation will be conducted where appropriate.
“We will also do everything we can to ensure victims are supported and feel able to speak out about inappropriate or criminal behaviour involving our officers or staff.
“While the vast majority of our officers and staff continue to hold themselves to the highest standards, we need to make it clear that there is no place in Dorset Police for those who commit sexual offences and we are determined to root out those who commit such offences, as well as domestic abuse or show discriminatory, abusive or misogynistic behaviours.
“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault to please come forward and report it to us. We always ensure victims are supported by specially-trained officers and will do everything in our power to identify those responsible and hold them to account.”
Hampshire & the Isle of Wight Constabulary, Thames Valley, Essex and Wiltshire Police refused to provide us with the data we asked for, leaving unanswered questions over how many more allegations there could be against officers and police staff.
Essex Police said they “understand there is a public interest in the release of such statistics.” But because of the way they record offences they are currently “unable to accurately answer the questions” we put to them. Hampshire, Wiltshire & Thames Valley Police said it would cost too much to collect the data under FOI limits.
Rio says the lack of cooperation and transparency from some of our police forces is “deeply concerning”, especially when the data is being collected already.
"You can’t expect to be a police officer and just be the other side of the law. That’s not enough. You have to be a role model of society, and that should be a given, not a luxury. Senior leadership need to set the example."
Earlier this year, The Home Office instructed all police forces in the UK to carry out background checks on all of their officers and staff against a national database.
It followed the sentencing of former Metropolitan Police Officer PC David Carrick, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, who was convicted of dozens of rapes and sexual assaults, committed over two decades.
The ‘Historic Data Wash’ gives police forces across the UK the identify any missed opportunities by re-vetting their employees against any allegations made against them and open any new investigations if necessary.
“We need to root out misconduct and other kinds of really negative behaviour that are being called out here,” said Stopwatch’s Habib Kadiri, a police reform campaign group.
“Forces are marking their own homework and what’s worse still is there's a complete and utter inability or unwillingness to punish officers for this kind of behaviour.”
Habib Kadiri of 'Stopwatch' police reform group says our findings show that "misconduct" goes beyond the Met.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council will publish the data in full next month.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Misconduct, said: “Complaints and reports about police officers and staff will always be investigated fully and appropriate action taken where wrongdoing is found.
“Misconduct proceedings in policing are rightly open, fair and balanced, operating under detailed guidance which protects both the public we serve and our officers. No officer is above the law and neither are they below it.
“We remain resolute in our determination to root out the abusers and corrupt individuals who blight our service.”
A Home Office spokesperson added: “The government is bringing forward a series of reforms to strengthen the disciplinary system and ensure it is fair and effective at removing officers who are not fit to serve.”
During this investigation, ITV Meridian has heard from multiple serving and former police officers and staff in our region about their experiences of sexual misconduct and a misogynistic culture inside the force that is protecting perpetrators rather than punishing them.
We’re keeping them anonymous as all of them are too frightened to speak out publicly - afraid they won’t be believed or worried about the repercussions on their careers.
“I was police staff and offered an officer a lift home after a work night out as I wasn’t drinking,” One told ITV Meridian.
“When we got there we had a couple of drinks & he assaulted me. I couldn’t leave until I was sure I wouldn’t be arrested for drink driving. I was so scared. I wanted to report it. I never did because he was an officer and I wasn’t and he told me I wouldn’t be believed.”
Another whistleblower said: “It happened to me and nothing was done. I reported that it was happening to others and nothing was done. Both of those men remain employed. I’m still working here. The guy who assaulted me wasn’t moved - and I was taken off of front line duties for six months whilst I was investigated. Nothing happened to me at the end of the investigation and all he got was a written warning.”
A third added: “We know a woman PC who was sexually assaulted by a Detective inspector. He didn’t get sacked and that’s unacceptable. You get moved about and get away with it.”
Andy Walker, Head of Uniformed Policing at the College of Policing, said: “There is absolutely no place in policing for those who abuse their power and position of trust. I want to reassure our communities that misconduct is taken seriously and, where the evidence supports it, officers or staff who breach professional standards are being held to account.
“The College of Policing is committed to ensuring that any officers or staff who do not meet the required standards of professionalism and integrity are removed from policing and prevented from returning.”
“We are also exploring how we can support forces to encourage officers and staff to challenge inappropriate behaviour so that misogyny and other corrosive attitudes and behaviours are driven from policing.”