Police dismissals figures made publicly available as part of our commitment to transparency
Latest barred list data released
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News
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We've published the latest annual figures for officers placed on the barred list following a conduct hearing between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. The number of regular police officers (excluding members of the Special Constabulary) placed on the list was 593, compared with 394 the previous year.
The barred list is used by police forces and some other public bodies to ensure someone who was dismissed can no longer work in policing. This includes individuals who decide to retire or resign during an investigation. It is publicly searchable using an officer’s name.
While the majority of officers dismissed were police constables (519), the barred list applies to all ranks, with two chief officers added this year.
Thirty officers from the Special Constabulary were also dismissed and added to the list. With more than 147,000 full-time equivalent officers across the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, the number of dismissals represents 0.35 per cent of the workforce.
There are 912 reasons recorded for the dismissals, which are outlined in the figures, with several officers having committed several breaches. The highest of these show:
- 125 instances of dishonesty
- 87 instances of powers/policies or procedures
- 74 instances of sexual offences or misconduct
It is of course, hugely disappointing to see the conduct of a number of officers falling far below the standard that we set for policing and which the public rightly expects. However, these figures show that we have effective, robust procedures in place to identify and deal with these officers swiftly, and to prevent them from holding future roles in within the police.
These figures show that there is nowhere to hide for people who fail to meet the high standards set across our police forces. Their behaviour tarnishes policing and erodes public trust. The service will continue working to ensure we attract the right people into policing, ensuring that those that who fail to meet these high standards have no future in policing."
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, Director of Operational Standards at the College of Policing
Previous figures
Between its introduction on 15 December 2017 and the end of this reporting period on 31 March 2024, a total of 2,098 officers have been added to the barred list.
