1,000+ police have criminal convictions

Over a thousand serving police officers in Great Britain have criminal convictions, according to new figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats.

The information, gathered from Freedom of Information requests to Britain’s police forces, shows how:

- There were 1,063 serving police officers in 41 police forces across Britain who had criminal convictions
- This includes five officers who were sacked by the force but reinstated by the Home Office
- There are 77 serving police officers with convictions for violent offences who have kept their jobs: 59 with convictions for assault; 14 for violence against the person; two for battery; and one for wounding
- In the last five years, just 45 have been dismissed from the police for violent offences
- 96 serving police officers have convictions for offences of dishonesty: 36 for theft; five for perverting the course of justice; three for fraud; and one each for dishonesty and forgery
- In the last five years, just 37 have been dismissed from the police for dishonesty
- 210 officers have been dismissed or required to resign in the past five years as a result of other criminal convictions

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne MP, said:

"It is staggering that so many of the people entrusted to protect us from crime have criminal convictions themselves.

"It is even more worrying that so many police officers convicted of serious crimes involving dishonesty or violence have been allowed to keep their jobs.

"There is a disturbing lack of consistency in how police forces deal with officers who are convicted of crimes.

"The public entrust the police with the use of legal force precisely because they are self-disciplined and restrained, which is why anyone convicted of a violent offence should be dismissed.

"I cannot see how a police officer convicted of dishonesty can perform their duty effectively, as any prosecutor would be reluctant to call them as a witness for fear of being taken apart by the defence.

"The public will be rightly concerned that there are serving police officers who have committed crimes as serious as GBH, assault, wounding and robbery.

"The trust that is absolutely vital in policing is seriously undermined when police officers are being convicted of crimes of dishonesty.

"Allowing police officers convicted of offences of violence or dishonesty to continue serving merely brings the vast majority of law-abiding and diligent officers into disrepute. Police forces should get tough on bad apples."