Rogue Police Officers Kicked Out in Record Numbers

Strategic Insights -

Record numbers of rogue police officers are being booted out of the force, with 735 officers being sacked and barred for life in the last year. This is up 24% on the previous year and has increased tenfold from the 70 cases recorded between December 2017 and March 2018. The most common reasons for dismissal were dishonesty, discriminatory behavior, and sexual offenses or misconduct.

Key Takeaways:

  • 735 police officers were kicked out of forces for misconduct, up 24% from the previous year and tenfold from the 70 cases recorded between 2017 and 2018.
  • The most common reasons for dismissal were dishonesty (126 cases), discriminatory behavior (95 cases), and sexual offenses or misconduct (72 cases).
  • Former Northamptonshire chief officer Nick Adderley was found guilty of misconduct for lying about his career, including claiming to have served in the navy and wearing a false medal.
  • Det Con Nicholas Henry was sacked for gross misconduct after targeting a teenage girl and having sex with her after she turned 16.
  • PC Dean Dempster was kicked out of Greater Manchester Police for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl and making child abuse images.
  • PC Huw Orphan was barred from policing after assaulting his wife and causing her to suffer a fractured spine.
  • The Metropolitan Police had the highest number of dismissals, with 183 officers being kicked out of a workforce of 33,293.
  • The purge comes in the wake of the Wayne Couzens scandal and the Casey Review into the culture of the Metropolitan Police.

Statistics:

  • 735 police officers were kicked out of forces for misconduct in the last year.
  • The number of dismissals is up 24% from the previous year.
  • Tenfold increase in cases of misconduct since 70 cases were recorded between December 2017 and March 2018.
  • 126 officers were dismissed for dishonesty.
  • 95 officers were dismissed for discriminatory behavior.
  • 72 officers were dismissed for sexual offenses or misconduct.
  • 640 of the officers added to the list were constables.
  • The Metropolitan Police had the highest number of dismissals, with 183 officers kicked out of a workforce of 33,293.
  • 146,442 full-time equivalent police officers were in the 43 regional forces in England and Wales as of March 2025.

Sources:

  • College of Policing
  • The Guardian
  • BBC News