Over 1500 UK police officers accused of rape, sexual harassment in 6 months, just 13 sacked

London: In UK, more than 1500 police officers faced complaints of abuse against women including rape sexual harassment in just six months, however only 13 people were sacked, according to the data accessed by journalists. The revelation has brought the spotlight back on the police forces’ capability to handle cases of abuse against women by own officers. According to the data accessed for the first time, only a quarter of these investigations were concluded in time and only 13 accused police officers were dismissed. Reports say that The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) refused to provide the specific stories of abuse against the police officers but suggested that they included rape, sexual harassment, abuse of position for a sexual purpose, and domestic violence. Additionally, complaints were made about the treatment of female police officers by their male coworkers as well as the use of force by male officers against female suspects. The NPCC recorded 1,177 instances of police violence against women and girls (VAWG) between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, of which 55per cent were looked into as conduct related and 45per cent were reported as public complaints. While many cases are still being probed, the data suggests that 70 per cent of the conduct related complaints which comprises 90 per cent of the total instances have not been taken up yet. It has been revealed that almost 0.7 per cent of the total police force in the UK is facing such allegations. For the Met police, the figure is 0.5 per cent with 217 officers facing conduct cases while 28 others are facing public complaints. Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the national police supervisor for VAWG, said a series of horrific cases had created a “moment in time to see and acknowledge this as a danger to our society, and to turn the tables on men who are violent towards women”. At a press conference, she stated that the NPCC was urging the government to alter the rules to make it simpler to fire cops who have been accused of mistreating women, even if they have not been found guilty. The NPCC is also reportedly asking the Home Office to tighten up current procedures, so that officials who are facing allegation of abuse against women can be dismissed even if they are not convicted. Detective Chief Constable Blyth said, “We need to have ways to get rid of these people. The number of reports and accusations is increasing as a result of our calling this out.” Reportedly, the scope of violence against women and girls will be the subject of a national threat evaluation next month after being added to the government’s “strategic policing requirement,” which also includes terrorism and child sex abuse. The numbers, according to the Centre for Women’s Justice, demonstrate the “serious extent of police sexual misconduct and other forms of violence and misogyny towards women,” which sparked a damning review of domestic abuse committed by police. There are also proposals to launch a national helpline, perhaps managed by a nonprofit, to enable women to report crimes without directly contacting the police. Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid, said the figures were “completely unacceptable,” but the release demonstrated progress towards a “desperately needed transformation” in policing. “This data demonstrates the staggering scale of violence against women and girls, as well as how far we are from ensuring women and children genuinely are secure - only 6 per cent of over 500,000 cases were closed with a suspect charged,” she added. In a new framework regarding violence against women and girls, the NPCC stated that it would publicise the statistics every year and that efforts were being made to improve standards and vetting investigations. The data was made public as police continued to search their national database for any information or claims against active police officers and employees. The Metropolitan Police stated on Monday that it had started an initiative to re-vet anyone whose “behaviour is identified as being of concern.” New national vetting guidelines are also being discussed. “An internal review into police dismissals is ongoing to ensure that the system is fair and effective at removing those officers who fall below the standards we expect,” a Home Office spokesperson said. “We declared last month that police should consider violence against women and girls as a national threat because we are dedicated to helping officers strengthen their response to these heinous crimes,” the spokesperson added. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.