Data on Police Officer Misconduct 2021 to 2024
Publication Number: 1585
FOI Number: 21354
Information Request - which has been numbered to assist in this disclosure:
- The total number of police officers accused of misconduct
- A breakdown of the number that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
- A breakdown of the outcomes in each case that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
- A breakdown of the type of misconduct alleged (e.g. Dishonesty, abuse of authority, discrimination)
- Please provide copies of summaries of the Modus Operandi (MO) sections for incident reports relating to misconduct cases that went to a hearing ensuring that all personal data is redacted to align with privacy regulation.
- The outcome of the above hearings
- How many officers resigned before the proceedings were completed
Supplementary Clarification
I would like to request this information for the last 4 years. If this time frame is too broad I am happy to refine the scope to 3 years.
FOI Duty
First Duty – Essex Police holds some of the information relating to your request
Second Duty – See below
Fact - It is not possible to extract and verify all the data in your request
Exemption - Section 12(1)
Refusal - Section 17(5) of FOIA
Reasoning – Essex Police are unable to provide a comprehensive data report to meet this request as the data is not available in a readily extractable format, nor is it held on a central log.
In respect of Question 5, this would entail a Centurion system review and a database comparison with the Athena system to identify all relevant digital case files. Followed by a manual review of all modus operandi and the development of a bespoke report, which is outside the Act.
To establish if information is held would, therefore, exceed the time and cost limits under the FOIA and would qualify as the creation of data as the results cannot be processed by means of purely sorting or filtering data sources or running a database query tool. There is no requirement under the act to create data purely to answer FOI requests.
When refusing a request on cost (Section 12(1)/12(2)), outside of the act and in effort to assist we can provide the following
Essex Police can report as follows:
Caveat: The data is correct as at 20/05/2025
Question 1:
The total number of police officers accused of misconduct ?
(I would like to request this information for the last 4 years. If this time frame is too broad I am happy to refine the scope to 3 years)
Response:
Caveat:
Below is the number of police officers and Special Police Constables accused of misconduct in that year
It should be noted the threshold for assessing misconduct is extremely low, and there only needs to be an indication of misconduct, to warrant an investigation. The majority of misconduct investigations establish that any alleged breaches of the standards of professional behaviour are only minor and do not meet the threshold for disciplinary proceedings
2021:
149 Police officers
2022
178 Police officers
2023
229 Police officers
2024
234 Police officers
2025 (up to 24/03/2025)
33 Police Officers
Question 2:
A breakdown of the number that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Response:
Caveat:
This does not include cases shown as live as of 24/03/2025
Misconduct cases recorded in 2021:
18 of these Police Officers proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Misconduct cases recorded in 2022:
22 of these Police Officers proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Misconduct cases recorded in 2023:
19 of these Police Officers proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Misconduct cases recorded in 2024:
6 of these Police Officers proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Misconduct cases recorded in 2025 (up to 24/03/2025)
Zero
Question 3:
A breakdown of the outcomes in each case that proceeded to a misconduct hearing
Response:
2021
Dismissal = 4 Police Officers
Would have been dismissed had they not resigned = 9 Police Officers
Final written warning = 3 Police Officers
Written warning = 1 Police Officer
No action = 1 Police Officer
2022
Dismissal = 8 Police Officers
Would have been dismissed had they not resigned = 11 Police Officers
Final written warning = 3 Police Officers
2023
Dismissal = 3 Police Officers
Would have been dismissed had they not resigned = 10 Police Officers
Final written warning = 4 Police Officers
Reflective Practice Review Process = 1 Police Officer
Case dismissed = 1 Police Officer
2024
Dismissal = 3 Police Officers
Would have been dismissed had they not resigned = 3 Police Officers
2025 (up to 24/03/2025)
Zero
Question 4:
A breakdown of the type of misconduct alleged (e.g. Dishonesty, abuse of authority, discrimination)
Response:
2021:
Honesty and integrity
Authority, Respect and Courtesy
Equality and Diversity
Use of force
Orders and Instructions
Duties and responsibilities
Confidentiality
Fitness for duty
Discreditable conduct
Challenging and reporting improper conduct
2022:
Honesty and integrity
Authority, Respect and Courtesy
Equality and Diversity
Use of force
Orders and Instructions
Duties and responsibilities
Confidentiality
Fitness for duty
Discreditable conduct
Challenging and reporting improper conduct
2023:
Honesty and integrity
Authority, Respect and Courtesy
Equality and Diversity
Use of force
Orders and Instructions
Duties and responsibilities
Confidentiality
Fitness for duty
Discreditable conduct
Challenging and reporting improper conduct
2024:
Honesty and integrity
Authority, Respect and Courtesy
Orders and Instructions
Duties and responsibilities
Confidentiality
Discreditable conduct
2025 (up to 24/03/2025)
Duties and responsibilities
Discreditable conduct
Confidentiality
Honesty and integrity
Authority, Respect and Courtesy
Question 6:
The outcome of the above hearings
Response:
Please see above for Question 3 which also refers to Question 6.
Question 7:
How many officers resigned before the proceedings were completed
Response:
Please see above for Question 3 which also refers to Question 7.
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.
As outlined in the professionalism strategy within the Force Plan, Essex Police and the PFCC are committed to reducing the risk of corruption to the lowest possible risk and to provide transparency and accountability against this issue. Regular internal engagement events for all staff promote inclusiveness, ethical behaviour and learning and there is an expectation that management and staff at all levels will lead by example, in line with the Code of Ethics | College of Policing and ensuring adherence to legal requirements and to all Essex Police policies, procedures and practices.
Cases are managed within the Centurion system by the Professional Standards Dept., any crime data is recorded on Athena, Essex Police’s case management system. Where corruption is identified the organisation will deal with it proportionately and effectively, when a complaint is received, an investigating officer is assigned a case, and a severity assessment is completed in conjunction with the Appropriate Authority. Depending on the level of assessment, as set by regulations, then a complaint may result in a conduct matter, gross misconduct or criminal charge. The assessment will continuously be reviewed together with management or the Appropriate Authority. Essex Police adhere to recording requirement in line with Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, Home Office guidance and IOPC statutory guidance (2020). Statutory guidance on the police complaints system (policeconduct.gov.uk) or page 28 of the linked Guidance document below. Guidance_on_capturing_data_about_police_complaints_Jan2021.pdf (policeconduct.gov.uk) (appendix A page 24)
The following links have been provided to guide you to sources of information published through PFCC, NPCC, IOPC and on the Essex Police Website.
Quarterly statistic data Conduct & Professional Standards - Essex Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (pfcc.police.uk)
When reviewing statistics, please note the following: the published guidelines based on the set 11 Complaint Categories A-L with 45 sub-categories and Misconduct Categories, Complaint and misconduct data are recorded pre strand in a case with a summary of outcomes. It does not cover each Officer allegation within a separate complaint.
Each complaint or misconduct case is likely to have more than one complaint/misconduct strand or category and could include multiple Officers subject to a complaint strand.
Integrity screening Results published in policing’s largest integrity screening project (npcc.police.uk).
Nationally over 307,000 officers, staff and volunteers have been checked against the Police National Database (PND), a data store of operational policing information and intelligence this was to mitigate a recognised gap in identifying offences committed by police officers and staff outside of their employed force area, and outside of set vetting periods.
In respect of violence against women girls (VAWG) Reducing violence against women and girls remains top priority | Essex Police
Policing violence against women and girls - National framework for delivery: Year 1 (npcc.police.uk)
vawg-stra-public-official.pdf (npcc.police.uk)
IOPC mandatory referrals and requested reviews Investigations | Independent Office for Police Conduct Search | Independent Office for Police Conduct
Misconduct hearings and upcoming hearing: Misconduct hearings | Essex Police
Barred list Barred list | College of Policing
Where an individual has been dismissed, the force will send a report, containing information set out in Regulations, to the College of Policing who will then update the barred list with those details. The same process will be used for the advisory list. The College will make decisions on whether it is appropriate to publish the information on the barred list, taking into account national security, other ongoing investigations and any significant harm which may be caused to the individual or others. In the vast majority of cases, we expect that the information will be published.
FOI Publications: Accessing information | Essex Police