Hundreds of British police officers have been fired for misconduct

LONDON – Nearly 600 police officers in England and Wales have been sacked in the year to March 2024 as police chiefs battle to restore public trust after a series of scandals.

The layoffs — a 50 percent increase from the 394 fired last year — include 74 officers removed from the force for sex offenses and misconduct.

A further 18 officers were dismissed for possessing indecent images of children, according to figures from the College of Policing, an independent public body.

The reputation of the police in Britain has been in tatters since the 2021 kidnap, rape and murder of marketing executive Sarah Everard by a serving officer of London’s Metropolitan Police, who was later jailed for the rest of his life.

In another shocking case, an officer from the same unit was given 36 life sentences last year for a “monstrous” series of 71 sexual offences, including rapes of 12 women.

The most common reason for dismissal was dishonesty in 125 cases, the latest figures show. Another 71 were forced to leave due to discriminatory behavior.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding of the College of Policing said it was “hugely disappointing to see the behavior of a number of officers falling well below the standard we set… and that the public rightly expects”.

But he said the number dismissed was also indicative of the “effective, robust procedures put in place to quickly identify and address these officers”.

“Their behavior tarnishes police work and undermines public trust,” he added.

In January 2023, the Met revealed that 1,071 officers of the 34,000-strong force had been investigated for domestic violence and violence against women and girls.

England and Wales have more than 147,000 police personnel across the 43 armed forces.