Yahoo Finance Almost 200 Metropolitan Police officers accused of sexual misconduct in just 2 years
Almost 200 Metropolitan Police officers have been accused of sexual misconduct in the last two years alone, new figures show.
Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request revealed that 160 officers were accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment of other sexual misconduct in 2019 and 2020.
While in the first five months of this year, a further 33 officers were accused.
In 2019, 87 per cent of those accused were men, rising to 89 per cent in 2020, MyLondon reports.
A total of 771 Met officers have been accused of sexual misconduct by colleagues since 2010, with 191 arrested on suspicion of committing a sexual offence.
In most cases, investigations resulted in allegations not being upheld or there being no case to answer.
Met Police officer Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Sarah Everard who he abducted on March 3.
He had previously been accused of indecent exposure three times.
Couzens was only fired from the Met after a Scotland Yard misconduct hearing on July 16.
The hearing found his actions had breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct.
A spokesperson for the Met said “there was no place” for sexual misconduct within the force.
“The Metropolitan Police Service employs more than 40,000 officers and staff, and expects the highest standards from its employees,” they said.
“While the allegations involve a small percentage of staff, we acknowledge the impact any alleged offence will have on those involved, and will continue to take all allegations made against staff extremely seriously.
“There is no place for behaviour of this nature within the organisation.
“Where standards are proven to have fallen below what is expected, we take appropriate action to ensure both accountability and that lessons are learnt from each case. Where officers are convicted of a crime, they will also face internal misconduct proceedings.
“Matters such as these are investigated by the Directorate of Professional Standards with referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as appropriate, which may independently investigate the allegations.”
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