More than nine in 10 formal allegations against Lancashire Constabulary officers resulted in no misconduct action last year, new figures show.
Police behaviour and misconduct processes have fallen under the spotlight once again after it emerged that serving Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick – who admitted to a string of sexual offences and rapes spanning two decades – faced no misconduct action or criminal sanctions despite coming to the attention of the force on several occasions.
Home Office figures show 1,752 misconduct allegations were made against Lancashire Constabulary officers and handled under the formal complaints process in the year to April 2022.
Of these, 1,638 (93 per cent) resulted in no action being required against the police officers involved.
Just four allegations were referred to official misconduct proceedings and 33 were referred to the reflective practice review process – when an officer’s behaviour falls short of expectations but does not amount to misconduct.
The figures cover the total number of allegations rather than the number of complaints – one complaint could contain several allegations of misconduct. They do not cover any complaints handled outside the formal process, where it was felt a detailed enquiry was not needed.
Across England and Wales, 87,786 allegations were made against police officers and handled under the formal complaints process in 2021-22. The majority (88 per cent) found no action was required.
David Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 offences against at least a dozen women – including 24 counts of rape – over an 18-year period. He was only suspended in October 2021 after being arrested over a second rape complaint.
The Met has apologised to victims after it was revealed he came to the attention of police over nine incidents, including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment, between 2000 and 2021.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said in reaction to Carrick's case that there is no place in police forces for officers who “who fall so seriously short" of the acceptable standards of behaviour.
The Home Office figures show there were 89 allegations of "conduct matter" offences against Lancashire 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, 17 were referred to official misconduct proceedings and 55 were referred to the reflective practice review process. No action was required in 14 cases.
A further eight "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.
A decision that no action was required was determined in two cases, while one was referred to misconduct proceedings and five were referred to the reflective practice review process.
Nationally, 68 officers were found guilty in criminal proceedings including sexual offences (10), violence against the person (10), and traffic offences (23).
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which declined to comment on the case against David Carrick, said the vast majority of police officers provide the "best service they can" in challenging circumstances.
A spokesperson added: "Police officers are responding to increased demands on their services and at times things can and do go wrong.
"The results from the police misconduct statistics show that only a very small percentage of police officers are dismissed from the service as a result of a complaint."
They added senior leaders should be encouraged to promote the use of reflective practices in policing for lessons to be learnt in a more "efficient and effective way".
A spokesperson for Lancashire police said: "Lancashire Constabulary takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously as we expect the highest professional standards of honesty, professionalism and integrity from all our staff.
"We maintain a firm stance around the professional standards of behaviour of all our staff and robustly investigate any allegations of misconduct.
"We are only too aware of the damage misconduct can cause to public confidence in the police. Specialist officers are deployed to ensure issues involving such incidents are thoroughly investigated and resolved.
"Where misconduct is identified Lancashire Constabulary has a proven track record of intervention and removing any potential impact upon the public.
"Our ultimate aim is to ensure the people of Lancashire trust their police service and understand we will focus on their needs and priorities."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel