1,000 British Police Officers found guilty of crimes

[Oscar Namechange]

On duty: 1,000 police officers found guilty of crimes | Mail Online

More than 1,000 police officers are still serving despite criminal convictions including assault, kerb crawling and perverting the course of justice.

There are 77 serving policemen with convictions for violent offences, and 36 with convictions for theft.

Almost one in every 100 policemen has been convicted, many while they were in post.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne, who uncovered the figures with Freedom of Information requests to every force, said the public would be 'staggered' that so many of the people entrusted to protect us from crime have criminal convictions themselves.

'It is even more worrying that so many police officers convicted of serious crimes involving dishonesty or violence have been allowed to keep their jobs,' he said.

'The public entrust the police with the use of legal force precisely because they are self-disciplined and restrained, which is why anyone convicted of a violent offence should be dismissed.

'I cannot see how a police officer convicted of dishonesty can perform their duty effectively, as any prosecutor would be reluctant to call them as a witness for fear of being taken apart by the defence.

'The public will be rightly concerned that there are serving police officers who have committed crimes as serious as GBH, assault, wounding and robbery.

'The trust that is vital in policing is seriously undermined when police officers are being convicted of crimes of dishonesty.

'Allowing police officers convicted of offences of violence or dishonesty to continue serving brings the vast majority of law-abiding and diligent officers into disrepute. Police forces should get tough on bad apples.'

The figures show that 1,063 officers serving in 41 forces around Britain have been found guilty of a huge variety of offences.



Only 210 officers have been dismissed or required to resign in the past five years for further criminal convictions. 'There is a disturbing lack of consistency in how police forces deal with officers who are convicted of crimes,' Mr Huhne added.

He said it made no sense that the Home Office issued guidance to forces on crimes that bar applicants from the force, including actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm and fraud, but not if they are convicted while serving.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) confirmed that officers convicted of serious crimes may remain in post.

Government rules set out a range of alternatives to dismissal, including a reprimand, fine or demotion. Individual forces are left to make their own decisions.

Chief Constable of Manchester Peter Fahy said: 'It should be remembered that there are just over 140,000 police officers in the country, the overwhelming majority of whom serve the public with dedication under sometimes difficult circumstances.

'Where an officer has committed misconduct, each case is judged on its merit, taking into consideration a range of factors, including how the offence reflects on an officer's integrity.'

The number of police cautions for violent attacks more than doubled from 23,500 in 1998 to 52,300 in 2007. Critics claimed the 'alarming' statistics, which mean that fewer than half of violent offenders are not put before the courts, underlined the 'caution culture' created under Labour.



Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne says the public would be 'staggered' to know that the people who are supposed to protect us from crime are guilty themselves.

Staggered???

I am in shock, i just can't believe the figures. They have to be wrong. It's never that low.