More than 300 British police officers have been accused of using their position to sexually exploit people, including "vulnerable" victims of crime, a new report has revealed.
The report by police watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) covers the two-year period ending in March of this year. It found that 306 police officers, 20 police community support officers and eight police staff in England and Wales were involved in 436 reported allegations of sexual abuse.
However, only 48% of these allegations were passed onto the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for investigation. The report also highlighted a "disconnect between the numbers of alleged cases and sackings as a result."
HMIC's Mike Cunningham, who spearheaded the report, called sexual exploitation "the most significant corruption challenge for the police" today because it "betrays the trust of the public – particularly some of the most vulnerable people in society."
He urged: "Forces need to become far more proactive in rooting out this most serious form of corruption, rather than only dealing with it once it has been reported, and ensure every preventative measure is being taken if they are to continue to hold the trust of the public."
Mark Castle of the charity Victim Support said the report's findings are "deeply concerning," telling The Guardian: "It’s critical that forces recognise this behaviour as the serious corruption that it is and report all cases to the IPCC to ensure that they are thoroughly and robustly investigated."
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