NEARLY 2,000 misconduct allegations were made against Hampshire police officers last year, new figures show

In the year to April 2022, Home Office figures show 1,938 misconduct allegations were made and handled under the formal complaints process.

Of these, 1,867 (96 per cent) resulted in no action being required against the officers involved.

Only five allegations were referred to official misconduct proceedings and 34 were referred to the reflective practice review process – when an officer’s behaviour falls short of expectations but does not amount to misconduct.

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Police behaviour and misconduct processes have fallen under the spotlight recently after it emerged that serving Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, who admitted to a string of sexual offences and rapes, and faced no misconduct action or criminal sanctions despite coming to the attention of the force on several occasions.

There were also 101 allegations of "conduct matter" offences against Hampshire Constabulary officers in 2021-22 – those which are not the subject of a complaint and indicate that an officer may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a way that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

Of them, four were referred to official misconduct proceedings and six were referred to the reflective practice review process. No action was required in 53 cases.

An additional 151 "recordable conduct matter" allegations were made, where it is alleged that an officer's conduct resulted in the death or serious injury of any person.

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A spokesperson for Hampshire police confirmed that it has robust procedures in place to deal with allegations of misconduct, which are set out in the Police Conduct Regulations that were updated in 2020.

They added: “We are absolutely clear that all officers and staff must adhere to the standards of behaviour expected of them due to their positions within society and we are proactive in taking action against those who fall below those standards.

“It is important to understand that the complaints process is much broader than just misconduct and also relates to public complaints of dissatisfaction with a service we have provided. So this requires different outcomes to be taken, for example, whether improvements should be made and implementing any learning or recommendations identified.”