Cambridgeshire Police: how many officers accused of abuse?

Figures obtained via Freedom of Information requests to Cambridgeshire Police reveal dozens of officers have been accused of crimes including sexual assault, and domestic abuse.

Twenty officers were investigated for sexual misconduct, including one allegation of sexual assault and another involving indecent images.

Twenty-four officers were investigated for domestic abuse offences.

The number of officers who abuse their position for a sexual purpose has seen a sharp rise in reported cases nationally in the past three years, accounting for almost 60 per cent of investigations carried out by the Independent Office for Police Complaints.

Sharon Bryan, head of partnerships and development at the National Centre for Domestic Violence, said: “Despite endeavours by police forces to identify any of their officers who may be perpetrating domestic abuse, we know that the problem is far from solved.

“There will always be perpetrators that slip through the net and the many cases we are now seeing come to light since the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, has had a massive impact on women coming forward and reporting domestic abuse incidents to the police.”

The figures come as Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned that tackling violence against women and girls requires the same level of funding as terrorism policing following the recruitment of Sarah Everard’s killer.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston (Image: Cambridgeshire Police)

Wayne Couzens’ recruitment and repeated failures to prevent him was described by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as “one of the most shattering accounts of failure in British policing history”.

In February, an inquiry led by Lady Elish Angiolini laid bare a history of sexual offending dating back nearly 20 years.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire, Darryl Preston said: “Policing by consent relies upon the police behaving in a way which maintains public support. There is no doubt that public trust and confidence in policing has been impacted by high profile issues nationally. 

“Holding the chief constable to account for ensuring that the police act with integrity is a key part of my role, so that everyone can have trust and confidence in the service provided by Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

He added: “It is important to note that by the vast majority of our police officers join for the right reasons – to keep people safe and catch criminals – and do so ethically. Those officers have my full support.”

Of the total investigations recorded, nine officers were subject to disciplinary proceedings while three were subject to management action.

Twenty-eight allegations resulted in no further action against the officer involved.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary Chief Constable, Nick Dean (Image: Cambridgeshire Police)

In 2022, The Home Office instructed all police forces in the UK to carry out background checks on all their staff against a national database.

It followed the sentencing of former Metropolitan Police Officer David Carrick who was revealed as one of the country’s most prolific sex-offenders after pleading guilty to more than 48 rapes against 12 women over 18 years.  

The ‘historic data wash’ gives forces across the country the chance to identify any missed opportunities by re-vetting employees against the Police National Database.

Chief Constable Nick Dean said: “We expect our officers to uphold the highest standards of behaviour at all times. We continue to be relentless in identifying and dealing with anyone who breaches those expectations.

“These figures represent less than one per cent of the police officer workforce being investigated each year over the past six years.

He added: “The majority of officers understand the privileged position they are in and want to make to make a genuine difference.

“Together we are taking action to regain trust and confidence, through the force’s own culture work and the implementation of the revised Code of Ethics.”