More than 4,000 police officers were disciplined for criminal behaviour in the past five years.
They
include an inspector who was sacked after being arrested for
shoplifting and a PC who resigned after installing a camera in a ladies
toilet.
A sergeant in
Lancashire was also sacked after he was discovered with three
sub-machine guns and ammunition. A colleague from the same force
resigned after being caught drug-trafficking.
Under scrutiny: The number of police officers
disciplined for criminal behaviour has soared by more than 50 per cent
in the past five years
Shocking new figures, obtained
through Freedom of Information requests, show criminality among the rank
and file of Britain's police forces is on the rise.
The number of officers found guilty
of misconduct has shot up by 56 per cent - from 559 in 2008 to 873 in
2012, according to the Daily Express.
In total, 4,115 officers were disciplined over criminal behaviour, of which 643 were dismissed or forced to resign.
More than 100 were at the rank of inspector or higher.
Some
of the offences were extremely serious including a PC in South
Yorkshire who was sacked after assaulting a partner and two others who
resigned after being arrested for perverting the course of justice.
Problem: The Met has seen a sevenfold increase in the number of officers disciplined for criminal behaviour
But the punishment handed out
to officers for their behaviour also varied. In some cases individuals
were let off with a written warning for offences which the public would
deem unacceptable.
They
included an officer who had a sexual relationship with a vulnerable
victim of domestic violence and another who had sex in a public place.
London's
Metropolitan police force saw a sevenfold increase in the number of
officers guilty of misconduct - from 47 in 2008 to 327 last year.
Javed Khan, of the charity Victim Support, said officers who engage in criminal behaviour undermine the public's confidence.
'Victims
need to have confidence in the integrity of the police of they are to
report crime and give evidence,' he told the newspaper.
'Our
staff and volunteers work closely with the police every day and know
the officers in these cases are a tiny minority. Their actions are
entirely unrepresentative of their colleagues.'
dailymail.co.uk
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