DOZENS of sexual assault allegations were made against serving male police officers in Hampshire – with two either resigning or being dismissed.

Figures show 38 claims were made against males at the county's constabulary between 2016 and 2020.

Of these, two resulted in resignation or dismissal. One officer was given a written warning and in a fourth, the officer had died.

The data, obtained by a Freedom of Information request, comes following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

Undated family handout file photo of Sarah Everard. Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in London to the murder of Sarah Everard. Issue date: Friday July 9, 2021..

Undated family handout file photo of Sarah Everard. Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in London to the murder of Sarah Everard. Issue date: Friday July 9, 2021..

The allegations were not founded in 28 cases. A total of 12 had a result of "no case to answer", 12 were not upheld and in four it was deemed that “acceptable service” had been provided by the officer.

Meanwhile, two were withdrawn, one was discontinued and one was subject of a disapplication, which means it may no longer be dealt with under complaints legislation.

A further two were under investigation at the time of the FOI response on July 20.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "We expect all our officers and staff to uphold the highest levels of professionalism and integrity at all times, whether on or off duty, and we do not accept any conduct that does not meet these standards.

"Policing is built upon the values of professionalism, compassion, courage and integrity and the public have a right to expect the highest standards from the officers and staff who are entrusted to keep them safe.

"Any breach of those professional standards is unacceptable and we have a robust system in place so that they can be reported and investigated thoroughly."

Hampshire Constabulary police helmet

Hampshire Constabulary police helmet

"Any breach of those professional standards is unacceptable and we have a robust system in place so that they can be reported and investigated thoroughly."

The data does not specify if the officers were on or off duty at the time the alleged incidents occurred.

The sex of the person making the accusation was also unknown in each case.

"Each public complaint and allegation of misconduct is assessed to identify if there are any criminal offences that have taken place," added the police spokesperson.

"There is a mandatory referral process for sexual offences to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who will determine primacy of investigation. Criminal allegations are dealt with in the same way as an allegation against any member of the public and are considered alongside any misconduct process."

Responses from 33 police forces across Great Britain revealed that most claims over five years related to male officers, where their sex was recorded.

 

 

"Since February 2020, under the IOPC guidance, we are required to record every complaint, irrespective of whether it is spurious or malicious," continued the spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary.

"This includes where the officer’s body worn video clearly disputes the allegation being made.

"We have worked, and continue to work, extremely hard as an organisation to ensure people understand the standards of behaviour expected of them, to be ethical and inclusive of all and to give staff the confidence to challenge on the rare occasions when behaviours fall below that which is acceptable."