More than 730 police officers sacked and barred from service last year

More than 730 police officers were sacked and barred from returning to the service last year, figures show.

According to the College of Policing, 735 officers were placed on the barred list in the year to March 31 2025, up from 593 the previous year, an increase of 24%.

The latest figures from the College of Policing for the police barred list include categories for the reason for sacking, with 1,149 recorded in total, as multiple reasons can apply to one case.

The most common reasons given for dismissal were dishonesty (126), discriminatory behaviour (95), unlawful access or disclosure of information (82), inappropriate communications (81), and sexual offences or misconduct (72).

Other cases involved abuse of position for a sexual purpose (31), child sexual offence (21), being in a discriminatory WhatsApp group (45), domestic abuse or harassment (26), and drugs (44).

Most of the officers added to the list were constables (640), but one chief officer and two chief superintendents were also among those kicked out.

The Metropolitan Police had the highest number of dismissals (183 out of a workforce of 33,293), followed by Greater Manchester Police (43 out of 8,112), Thames Valley Police (40 out of 5,000), and West Midlands Police (37 out of 7,991).

Data from March 2025 showed that there were 146,442 full-time equivalent police officers in the 43 regional forces in England and Wales.

The figures also show that 280 members of police staff and 31 specials were put on the list, rising from 233 and 29 respectively.

The most common reasons for specials to be sacked included dishonesty (six) discriminatory behaviour (three), and sexual offences (four).

Among police staff, these were dishonesty (42), unlawful access to or disclosure of information (40), and discriminatory behaviour (31).

Since its introduction in December 2017, 2,834 police officers, 223 special constables, and 1,268 members of police staff have been added to the barred list.

In the year to March 2025, 125 officers and specials added to the list came from a black or other minority ethnic background, 16% of the 766 cases where ethnicity was recorded, and 40 police staff.

Government workforce data shows that 8.5% of officers were from minority ethnic groups in the year to March 31 2025.

The data showed that among those added to the list, 641 officers and specials were white, along with 240 staff.

Looking at gender, 133 officers and specials were female, with 632 male and one who preferred to self-describe; while 99 police staff were female and 181 were male.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said: “These figures show a determined and robust effort from police forces to rid policing of officers whose behaviour falls below the high standards that we, and the public, expect from them.

“It goes without saying that any time an officer’s behaviour breaches professional standards, or even strays into criminality, it leaves a permanent stain on the reputation of policing.

“But the public can have confidence that their police forces are quickly identifying and dealing with unacceptable behaviour from officers and staff, who, through being on the barred list, will never work in policing again.

“The message is clear: our policing system is built on upholding our code of ethics, on courage, respect and empathy and public service, and there is no place in our police service for anyone whose behaviour goes against these values.”

Published: 15/10/2025 by Radio NewsHub