Scrutable

You may remember that in the wake of the horrific kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard I've taken somewhat of an interest in cass of police failing to follow the laws they're employed to uphold. If you don't, here's a few threads where I was rather active - 1, 2, 3.

I mentioned in one of those threads that I'd begun a spreadsheet to collect the reports and then fell (probably mercifully) silent.

That silence wasn't (for once) me giving up after starting with enthusiasm. I've been steadily collecting cases ever since. I've got a weekly google alert for every police force in the country and my goodness, do I get a lot of alerts.

Currently I have 387 reports of misconduct. Apart from the cases reported in the threads I linked to above, I didn't do any historic searching. Everything since then has been stories that have hit the news in some way, or stories that came up in my search for more information.

Only three forces haven't appeared so far - the City of London Police (with 970 officers as of 2022), Durham Constabulary (with 1,295 officers as of 2022), and the Ministry of Defence Police (with 2,594 officers as of 2022). The other 45 forces have all had at least one report. Despite its prevalence in the press, when you compare the number of reports to the number of officers, the Met is barely middle-of-the-pack (highlighted in red in the graph below). Essex Police has by far the highest percentage of officers hitting the press for misconduct.
What probably won't be a surprise is that men are far more commonly reported for misconduct - 79.3% compared to 12.7% women and 8.0% unspecified. Some of this may be that there's more men than women in the police - I don't have gender breakdowns either for the police as a whole or individual forces but it would be interesting data to get.

I've come up with my own categories of misconduct as the ones used by the police are really vague and unhelpful. Probably not surprising if you've followed the other threads, sexual offences - everything from perving on colleagues to rape of children - is the most common report. Bigotry (either online - WhatsApp groups are very popular for racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, transphobia and general c.ntery, or IRL) is also very popular and is a great way to catch multiple officers from the same force. It should be noted that a large number of cases (about a third) are still being determined so I may well be maligning people and forces unfairly. That said, 56 former officers are now in jail as a result of their misconduct with a further 14 on suspended sentences and 9 doing community service.

There's more to be said, and more cases coming in all the time. If you find any please feel free to add them, there's a tab called 'crowdsourcing' where you can do so.

I'll post periodic updates when I have time and inclination.

You may ask why I've got it out for the police. It's because they're given a position of power and authority to uphold the law and instead a disturbing number of them abuse those positions to hurt people and then use those positions to protect themselves from the consequences of their actions. I've read about the horrific to the pathetic - one case I added tonight was an officer stealing an ornament from someone's garden (he got a written warning), another older case was someone stealing toilet roll from the police station where they worked (she had retired before a misconduct hearing was called). There are multiple officers who've stolen from dead people. There's loads who've accessed police databases to spy on friends, family, neighbours, online dates, or just to be nosy. Some have even shared that information with friends and family, and in some cases with the criminals they're supposed to be catching. There's a scary number who have tried to form sexual relationships with vulnerable people who they've met in the course of their duties. These stories would be bad in any job, but police are supposed to protect us and instead they're doing the opposite. They are using their positions to get the opportunities to commit these crimes and using their positions to protect themselves. It's not 'a few bad apples'. It's not 'the exception'. It's evidence of a culture of impunity and I think that, at the very least, someone should be paying attention.

Thanks for this

A brief update because I've seen some doozies tonight while going through my alerts.

First, a couple of officers who got far too excited at having passed training.

Lee Ribera just passed his taser training, got ridiculously drunk and decided it would be a good idea to pretend he had a taser which he then aimed at a member of the public.

Meanwhile, James Duhoit passed a public order instructor's course and decided the best way to celebrate was to get ridiculously drunk then throw petrol bombs at the training village, causing around £10,000 of damage.

Both resigned before they could be dismissed.

Luke Meakin was caught speeding last year, going 107mph in a 60mph zone. He was disqualified from driving after pleading guilty to dangerous driving. Despite being found guilty of gross misconduct he was only given a final written warning and, incredibly, still allowed to drive police vehicles.

A newly-elected Reform Councillor, Andrew Gray, has been defended by his party after it was revealed he was sacked by the police last year for pretending to be sick so he could go on holiday.

Another former officer has also made it back into the news. Andrew Campbell was dismissed from the police in 2017 after using excessive force. He's recently been jailed for possessing over 200 weapons, including three illegal guns and a silencer, along with Nazi memorabilia.

This roundup has also included more women than usual. Most are typical - relationship with criminal, lying about why she can't work, stalking an ex - but Gayle Newton resigned before she could be dismissed after ignoring a report by a member of the public of a severely-injured stabbing victim nearby. She didn't take any details of his location, did a cursory search then drove away without reporting it to anyone else. Fortunately the victim was found and made a full recovery. The attacker was never found.

I've also had dick pics, sexual assaults, bigoted WhatsApp groups (in the last 3 weeks I've added 35 new incidents to my list) but they're so common as to be boring and not really worth telling individually. And it's always the same old story from the police - bad apples, not representative, etc. I know the police are a large organisation but I'm constantly disappointed to see how many officers seem to think they're above the very laws they are paid to uphold.

Your work here is staggering, not just in volume but in the consistency of patterns it reveals. It’s not the occasional scandal, it’s a systemic failure in oversight, accountability, and culture. When officers can resign to dodge consequences, or stay on duty after dangerous misconduct, it sends a clear message: rules don’t apply equally. And you're right, these aren’t just bad apples. They’re symptoms of an institution that protects itself before the public.

eliot10 wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 9:20 pm Your work here is staggering, not just in volume but in the consistency of patterns it reveals. It’s not the occasional scandal, it’s a systemic failure in oversight, accountability, and culture. When officers can resign to dodge consequences, or stay on duty after dangerous misconduct, it sends a clear message: rules don’t apply equally. And you're right, these aren’t just bad apples. They’re symptoms of an institution that protects itself before the public.

I always point out that the Bad apple ruins the barrel not just the batch. The spores get into the wood and even if you remove all the apples, new apples will still spoil, unless you have properly cleaned it out or replaced the barrel.

But yes, you are right, as shown by theDaniel Morgan murder inquiry which described the Met as Institutionally corrupt, and quoted by the Casey Review as still being an example of inadequate response by the Met to external scrutiny

Pretty grim here.

https://youtube.com/shorts/oasalRyt9dc

More on the met.

8 officers from Charing Cross

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn839398xzpo

jimbob wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 8:52 pm More on the met.

8 officers from Charing Cross

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn839398xzpo

Well that'll be going in my spreadsheet.

Speaking of which, I've left things for a while but am finally updating it. A summary will be coming shortly but I just had to share this story which had me laugh out loud when I saw it.

Thomas Gibbs, a Wiltshire police sergeant, resigned rather than be sacked after he crashed a colleague's car in the police station carpark then failed to report the incident.

Following the traffic collision incident, Gibbs resigned from Wiltshire Police and now works at National Highways as a Traffic Officer.

Fishnut wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 9:02 pm

jimbob wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 8:52 pm More on the met.

8 officers from Charing Cross

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn839398xzpo

Well that'll be going in my spreadsheet.

Speaking of which, I've left things for a while but am finally updating it. A summary will be coming shortly but I just had to share this story which had me laugh out loud when I saw it.

Thomas Gibbs, a Wiltshire police sergeant, resigned rather than be sacked after he crashed a colleague's car in the police station carpark then failed to report the incident.

Following the traffic collision incident, Gibbs resigned from Wiltshire Police and now works at National Highways as a Traffic Officer.

Looks like Charing Cross police station is a spoiled barrel

I've noticed in my latest batch that the 'rotten apple' defence is being used less frequently, where I can find official statements. It's become much more about failing to meet the standards expected of officers. Which is interesting.

Fishnut wrote: Mon Sep 15, 2025 9:43 pm I've noticed in my latest batch that the 'rotten apple' defence is being used less frequently, where I can find official statements. It's become much more about failing to meet the standards expected of officers. Which is interesting.

I hadn't spotted that. But yes it is.

From zooterkin on ISF

https://rdg.today/police-officer-charged/

Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a serving officer based at Reading police station has been charged with rape and sexual assault.

The charges relate to the rape and sexual assault of a woman at the Premier Inn on Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes, on the evening of December 17, 2023. It was reported to the force on July 11 last year.

BBC undercover reporting reveals large number of Met officers are total c.nts.

Aside: I think the reporter is very brave to let his identity be known, especially if he lives in London.

https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/g ... -man-wigan

A Greater Manchester Police sergeant has been demoted following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into police contact with a man who died in Wigan.

Gareth Roper, 35, died after being hit by a vehicle on Lily Lane, in Bamfurlong, in the early hours of 1 January 2022.

Police had earlier arrested Mr Roper at his home for breach of the peace and drove him almost four miles away before leaving him to walk back with no shoes, socks, mobile phone or money.

Why only demoted?

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 10:15 am https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/g ... -man-wigan

A Greater Manchester Police sergeant has been demoted following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into police contact with a man who died in Wigan.

Gareth Roper, 35, died after being hit by a vehicle on Lily Lane, in Bamfurlong, in the early hours of 1 January 2022.

Police had earlier arrested Mr Roper at his home for breach of the peace and drove him almost four miles away before leaving him to walk back with no shoes, socks, mobile phone or money.

Why only demoted?

As it indicates the linked report, "gross misconduct" is not a sacking offence, at least not without prior written warnings. Another sergeant involved in the incident left the force.

The CPS were informed of the facts and did not bring charges.

Lily Lane, Bamfurlong, is, would you believe, a short and urbanised section of the A58. It has an ample footway and lighting. It's maybe about a mile or so from where he was left. When I saw the name, I rather imagined he might have been abandoned to walk dark country roads without no footway. But whilst he was left 4 miles from home, in midwinter, with no shoes, socks, coat, money or phone, in an act of clearly deliberate vindictiveness, they didn't quite go that far. There is also no mention in the report of the victim being intoxicated. Whilst it seems that we are missing some of the circumstances to judge, the death in a vehicle collision is not necessarily closely related to this act of quite unpleasant vindictiveness by the four policemen who evidently felt they could get away with.

IvanV wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:26 pm

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 10:15 am https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/g ... -man-wigan

A Greater Manchester Police sergeant has been demoted following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into police contact with a man who died in Wigan.

Gareth Roper, 35, died after being hit by a vehicle on Lily Lane, in Bamfurlong, in the early hours of 1 January 2022.

Police had earlier arrested Mr Roper at his home for breach of the peace and drove him almost four miles away before leaving him to walk back with no shoes, socks, mobile phone or money.

Why only demoted?

As it indicates the linked report, "gross misconduct" is not a sacking offence, at least not without prior written warnings. Another sergeant involved in the incident left the force.

The CPS were informed of the facts and did not bring charges.

Lily Lane, Bamfurlong, is, would you believe, a short and urbanised section of the A58. It has an ample footway and lighting. It's maybe about a mile or so from where he was left. When I saw the name, I rather imagined he might have been abandoned to walk dark country roads without no footway. But whilst he was left 4 miles from home, in midwinter, with no shoes, socks, coat, money or phone, in an act of clearly deliberate vindictiveness, they didn't quite go that far. There is also no mention in the report of the victim being intoxicated. Whilst it seems that we are missing some of the circumstances to judge, the death in a vehicle collision is not necessarily closely related to this act of quite unpleasant vindictiveness by the four policemen who evidently felt they could get away with.

As you say, "unpleasant vindictiveness". Which I think should be worth instant dismissal once proven.

IvanV wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:26 pm

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 10:15 am https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/g ... -man-wigan

A Greater Manchester Police sergeant has been demoted following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into police contact with a man who died in Wigan.

Gareth Roper, 35, died after being hit by a vehicle on Lily Lane, in Bamfurlong, in the early hours of 1 January 2022.

Police had earlier arrested Mr Roper at his home for breach of the peace and drove him almost four miles away before leaving him to walk back with no shoes, socks, mobile phone or money.

Why only demoted?

As it indicates the linked report, "gross misconduct" is not a sacking offence, at least not without prior written warnings. Another sergeant involved in the incident left the force.

The CPS were informed of the facts and did not bring charges.

Lily Lane, Bamfurlong, is, would you believe, a short and urbanised section of the A58. It has an ample footway and lighting. It's maybe about a mile or so from where he was left. When I saw the name, I rather imagined he might have been abandoned to walk dark country roads without no footway. But whilst he was left 4 miles from home, in midwinter, with no shoes, socks, coat, money or phone, in an act of clearly deliberate vindictiveness, they didn't quite go that far. There is also no mention in the report of the victim being intoxicated. Whilst it seems that we are missing some of the circumstances to judge, the death in a vehicle collision is not necessarily closely related to this act of quite unpleasant vindictiveness by the four policemen who evidently felt they could get away with.

Surely this behaviour should be considered criminal?

bjn wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 6:53 pm

IvanV wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:26 pm

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 10:15 am https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/g ... -man-wigan



Why only demoted?

As it indicates the linked report, "gross misconduct" is not a sacking offence, at least not without prior written warnings. Another sergeant involved in the incident left the force.

The CPS were informed of the facts and did not bring charges.

Lily Lane, Bamfurlong, is, would you believe, a short and urbanised section of the A58. It has an ample footway and lighting. It's maybe about a mile or so from where he was left. When I saw the name, I rather imagined he might have been abandoned to walk dark country roads without no footway. But whilst he was left 4 miles from home, in midwinter, with no shoes, socks, coat, money or phone, in an act of clearly deliberate vindictiveness, they didn't quite go that far. There is also no mention in the report of the victim being intoxicated. Whilst it seems that we are missing some of the circumstances to judge, the death in a vehicle collision is not necessarily closely related to this act of quite unpleasant vindictiveness by the four policemen who evidently felt they could get away with.

Surely this behaviour should be considered criminal?

Yup. My first thought was about the Saskatchewan's "starlight tours" where justice has not been served as nobody has even been charged as far as I know.

I did talk to my daughter about those when she was studying Geography for a year in Ontario and one of her modules was on
Ongoing impacts of government actions on First Nations Canadians

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 5:44 pm As you say, "unpleasant vindictiveness". Which I think should be worth instant dismissal once proven.

In most organisations, "gross misconduct" is grounds for sacking without notice or compensation. But according to the police disciplinary rules, we are informed, dismissal is not a consequence unless you have a prior written warning.

bjn wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 6:53 pm Surely this behaviour should be considered criminal?

Someone else thought so too, and informed the CPS. But the CPS did not bring charges. They might have had some difficulty deciding quite what offence it is, and then if it met the evidential threshold for that offence. If we try to conceive of it as criminal negligence, then what harm did the person suffer from it? The main harm they suffered was death in a vehicle collision, and the nexus between that and the action is weak. Misconduct in public office occurred to me, but that is very rarely litigated, and generally for very different types of case. And then they may have had in mind that prosecutions of the police only appear to succeed in the most egregious of cases.

And unfortunately I also fear that quite a lot of people might think that the police picking up some peace-breacher in the middle of the night in their underpants and dumping them 4 miles away to walk back in the middle of the night is a rather suitable way of dealing with such incidents, and we are snowflake libtards for thinking otherwise.

As we watch what ICE are doing in the US, it is good to bear in mind that at least we can bring charges against the police in this country for such misconduct. And this results in most of the police, most of the time, being rather careful about how they treat us when they feel a need to deal with us. But in the US, there is in fact very little prospect for bringing charges against federal agents for misconduct such as beating you up as they arrest you in your underpants for looking like a foreigner, or being an immigrant who bounced a small cheque 20 years ago.* Claims against state agents are normally brought through Section 1983 of the US Code, but that Section is specifically limited to state agents. There is currently an attempt to add in the additional 5 words necessary to make it apply at federal level, but it is of course impossible to pass legislation in the US these days. In principle action could be brought through the Federal Tort Claims Act, but this is so narrowly drawn it is practically impossible to succeed with such an action. In 1971, the Supreme Court allowed a claim against federal agents in the case of Bivens vs Six Unknown Named Agents. But subsequent actions trying to use that precedent have tended to narrow it to more or less precisely the facts of that case.

---
*There is a case in the news of the Irish wife of a US citizen currently in detention prior to deportation because two small cheques of hers bounced about 15 years ago. Both under $100. In most civilised countries you wouldn't even get a criminal record for that. But according to ICE she's a dangerous repeat fraudster and has to be deported. I'm informed that once they have you in detention, it's very difficult to stop the process.

IvanV wrote: Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:17 am

jimbob wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 5:44 pm As you say, "unpleasant vindictiveness". Which I think should be worth instant dismissal once proven.

In most organisations, "gross misconduct" is grounds for sacking without notice or compensation. But according to the police disciplinary rules, we are informed, dismissal is not a consequence unless you have a prior written warning.

And that is the problem. People in a position of trust should have to meet higher standards not lower than other employees. Gross misconduct means they are not able to be trusted, yet they keep their job.