Dozens of employees are still working at Hampshire Constabulary despite being accused of domestic abuse, figures reveal.
The statistics, obtained in an investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and ITV, reveal more than 1,300 police officers and staff across the UK were reported for domestic abuse between January 2018 and September last year.
They included 56 in Hampshire Constabulary – and 49 of them were still in a job with the force towards the end of last year, when the freedom of information requests were sent out.
Of those reported for domestic abuse, four were disciplined, two convicted of domestic abuse and none removed from their roles.
Freedom of information requests received from 41 UK police forces reveal that 1,080 (82 per cent) of 1,319 police officers and staff who were reported for alleged domestic abuse were still working at police forces.
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Just 36 (3 per cent) had been dismissed, while 203 either resigned, retired or left for other reasons. TBIJ's data only records accusations of domestic abuse reported to the police.
Ruth Davison, the CEO of Refuge, said: “I can’t overstate how serious this is. Domestic abuse is fundamentally about power and control, the abuse of power.
"And police officers do have power — they’re supposed to use that for our benefit to uphold the law and to keep us safe.”
Disciplinary actions, which can include written warnings or suspension, were taken against 120 officers and staff (9 per cent), but just 45 reports (3 per cent) led to convictions.
David Tucker, head of crime at the College of Policing, said: “Allegations of domestic abuse by an officer must be treated with the utmost seriousness. The charging and conviction rates for all domestic abuse is a matter of great concern.”
A spokeswoman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “Figures such as these will cause concern to victims and we want to assure you that policing is working hard to root out those who display misogynistic characteristics.
"Everyone must call out inappropriate behaviour when they see it and the support systems must be in place for those who report domestic abuse and other crimes which disproportionately affect women.”
Donna Jones, Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, said that the allegations should be taken seriously.
She said: “Any allegation of abuse against an officer needs to be taken very seriously and where those allegations are proven they must be held to account for their actions. There is no room for domestic abuse perpetrators in policing.
“It is essential that any abusive or misogynistic behaviour is rooted out, not only to prevent the behaviour from continuing, but also to ensure that victims get the support they need and to ensure that the public can have confidence in the people who are there to protect them."
Ms Jones said that a new policy had been put in plage in June, which she will be reviewing.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “Sadly domestic abuse happens in all walks of life and professions and although this is not unique to policing, what is unique is the power afforded to officers.
“In Hampshire, we have an internal policy on dealing with domestic abuse perpetrated by officers or staff. Our policies on dealing with domestic abuse internally were completely rewritten in June 2021 to provide comprehensive guidance for managers to provide increased support for victims and a robust approach to identifying and tackling perpetrators.
“Whilst we have always understood the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest and maintaining confidentiality, this new policy tackles these issues even more overtly."
They said new training has been brought in, as well as a scrutiny panel, which has four independent domestic abuse specialists as core members, a new reporting service, and that independent support was being provided by an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate.
They added: “We take any allegation of abuse against an officer very seriously. Calling out unethical behaviour is also a core part of ensuring that we are upholding the highest standards of behaviour in our own organisation."
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