Dozens of sexual misconduct complaints made against Devon and Cornwall Police officers
Freedom of Information figures show there were 29 allegations between 2016 and 2020
Last updated 11th Oct 2021
Figures have revealed dozens of allegations of sexual assault were made against serving police officers in Devon and Cornwall over five years.
It comes as the Prime Minister says there is “a massive job” to be done in restoring women’s confidence in police after the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer.
What do the figures show?
Figures obtained by the RADAR reporting service under the Freedom of Information Act show 29 complaints were made against Devon and Cornwall Police officers between 2016 and 2020.
They related to 35 officers, most of whom were male (27).
In six cases the sex was recorded as unknown and in two the officer was female.
An officer could be involved in more than one case.
Of the allegations against each officer, one led to a dismissal and three resulted in management action.
Investigations into four were still ongoing at the time of the FOI response on May 5th.
In 24 of the cases against individual officers, the allegations had a result of “no case to answer”, while three saw no further action taken.
The data does not specify if the officers were on or off duty at the time the alleged incidents occurred.
The sex of the person making the accusation was also unknown in each case.
The data from Devon and Cornwall Police was in response to a request for the number of complaints of sexual assaults against serving police officers and complaints could relate to historic allegations.
Of the cases against officers in the force between 2016 and 2020, 28 came from the members of the public and one from a colleague.
Responses from 33 police forces across Great Britain revealed that most claims over five years related to male officers, where their sex was recorded.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition, which includes groups like Rape Crisis, Refuge and Women's Aid, said few officers face "any meaningful consequences" for violence against women and girls nationally.
The organisation said the murder of Ms Everard took place within a broader context of violence perpetrated by the police, adding that trust in forces from women and girls was now at an all-time low.
Deputy director Denzi Uğur said: "We need to see a radical overhaul of how the police respond to violence against women – especially within their own ranks.
"This means greater accountability and urgent, coordinated and strategic action to address violence against women.
"Ultimately, we need to address these widespread institutional failings before we can even begin to address women’s confidence in the police".
The Prime Minister has called for a change in the culture of policing following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens.
It emerged that Couzens had been accused of indecent exposure in 2015 – but was still able to transfer from Kent Police to the Metropolitan force.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating both forces for their handling of Couzens.
The body holds an oversight of the entire police complaints system and investigates the most serious police misconduct matters.
An IOPC spokesperson said: "The abuse of police powers for purposes of sexual exploitation, or violence, has a devastating impact on victims, and a serious impact on the public’s confidence in individual officers and the service in general.
"It is critical there are effective systems in place to prevent, monitor and deal swiftly with any individual who exploits that trust".
Home Secretary Priti Patel this week launched an independent inquiry into the "systematic failures" by police following the murder of Ms Everard.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Secretary is determined to do everything in her power to deliver improvements within policing and across the criminal justice system.
"The inquiry will look into wider issues across policing – including vetting practices, professional standards and discipline, and workplace behaviour.
"As the public would rightly expect, we take police integrity very seriously and have already taken steps to overhaul the police complaints and discipline systems".
The inquiry has been welcomed by the National Police Chief's Council chairman, Martin Hewitt, who said vetting and professional standards procedures needed to be scrutinised to restore public confidence.
He said: "I think having an independent inquiry is a very good way for that to be to be dealt with to really help us provide that reassurance".
We have contacted Devon & Cornwall Police for a statement and updates will appear below.