Merseyside Police 'absolutely committed' to keeping women and girls safe
A fraction of police officers in England and Wales who face such complaints across the country are sacked
The Chief Constable of Merseyside Police insists they're working hard to root out officers and staff who don't adhere to the standards and behaviour she expects.
It's after new data from the National Police Chiefs Council shows less than 1% of more than 1500 police officers in England and Wales who faced complaints about their treatment of women were sacked in a six-month period.
653 conduct cases relating to violence against women and girls were brought against 672 individuals by police forces between October 2021 and March 2022.
524 complaints were also made by members of the public against 867 officers and staff.
Of the conduct cases, 167 have been resolved and 13 officers and staff have been sacked.
Between October 2021 and February 2023, 46 complaints and 44 misconduct allegations against Merseyside police officers and staff were flagged as relating to violence against women and girls.
34 conduct cases were recorded and all of them have been assessed as gross misconduct.
76% of those cases are still 'live investigations' and 24% have been finalised.
Of the 24%, three people had a case to answer.
The force says two of them would have been dismissed if they were still serving and the other was given a written warning.
Chief Superintendent Jennifer Wilson said:
"I think that is real clear evidence of just how robustly allegations of violence against women and girls are being handled within Merseyside."
In the six months until February 2023, 22 unique cases and 32 allegations were recorded.
That equates to 0.5% of the workforce.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said:
"I want to assure you that we are working hard to root out those in the minority who do not adhere to the standards and behaviours I expect from my officers and staff.
"From more effective vetting, to encouraging everyone internally and those who come into contact with our force to call out any inappropriate behaviour.
"I understand how hard that can be, but I can guarantee that any allegations will be taken seriously, and they will be fully supported.
"I am working with other Chief Constables across the UK to better identify wrongdoing by reviewing all current allegations of sexual misconduct fully and quickly, strengthening vetting and misconduct investigations and toughening sanctions to make sure they meet the gravity of offences committed.
"Explaining and talking about this is really important and action matters too. I know you want to see improvements; I know women and girls want to feel safe across Merseyside and to trust and have confidence in police officers and staff at Merseyside Police.
"We want that too. The ability for everyone to feel safe in Merseyside is absolutely paramount.
"As I said, taking action matters and our work continues relentlessly and at pace.
"We are working hard, with our partners, including the five local authorities, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Crown Prosecution Service, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, our universities, and the wonderfully committed charities and third sector we have in our region, every day, to tackle and prevent violence and intimidation against women and girls and to earn the trust of our communities.
"My officers and staff work tirelessly to ensure that Merseyside is a safe place to live, work and socialise.
"There is still work to do and as a force we will continue to learn and develop so that keeping women and girls safe, and feeling safe, remains at the forefront of our work. We are improving.
"We will keep improving but we recognise that there is still more to do."
Police leaders have asked the Home Office to toughen up existing regulations, including barring anyone convicted or cautioned for this type of offence from policing, and re-vetting anyone accused of these types of crimes.
They are also encouraging chief constables to use accelerated misconduct hearings to speed up disciplinary processes.
A national threat assessment of the scale of violence against women and girls will be made next month.
The moves are part of efforts to tackle misogyny in policing after scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer and Pc David Carrick being unmasked as a prolific sex offender.