Fewer than one in three complaints of sexual misconduct against police officers were investigated last year.

Figures obtained by the Newsquest Media Group from the Independent Office for Police Conduct show more than 100 complaints of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other sexual conduct levied against officers.

Of the 109 complaints received in 2020/21, just 31 were investigated.

While out of all the allegations made to the IOPC, not a single one led to criminal proceedings.

Two officers accused of sexual assault, a crime under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment, were subject to “individual learning”, while another was told to “learn from reflection”.

Sexual misconduct complaints against police officers

These are the police forces that received sexual misconduct complaints against officers:

Avon and Somerset Police

  • Sexual assault – four (one investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

British Transport Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Cambridgeshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Cheshire Police

  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Cumbria Police

  • Sexual assault – one (one investigated)

Derbyshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Devon and Cornwall Police

  • Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)

Dorset Police

  • Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

Essex Police

  • Sexual assault – four (one investigated)

Gloucestershire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Greater Manchester Police

  • Sexual assault – 12 (three investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – two (zero investigated)

Hampshire Police

  • Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Hertfordshire Police

  • Sexual assault – two (one investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – two (one investigated)

Humberside Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Kent Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

Lancashire Police

  • Sexual assault – two (one investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – two (two investigated)

Leicestershire Police

  • Sexual assault – three (one investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Metropolitan Police

  • Sexual assault – ten (six investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – two (one investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – four (three investigated)

North Wales Police

  • Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

Northamptonshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Northumbria Police

  • Sexual assault – five (zero investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – three (two investigated)

Nottinghamshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

South Wales Police

  • Other sexual conduct – three (one investigated)

South Yorkshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Staffordshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Suffolk Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Surrey Police

  • Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

Sussex Police

  • Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – two (one investigated)

Thames Valley Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – one (one investigated)

West Mercia Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

West Midlands Police

  • Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

West Yorkshire Police

  • Sexual assault – five (one investigated)
  • Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)
  • Other sexual conduct – three (one investigated)

Wiltshire Police

  • Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

The figures present different data from previous annual complaints reports due to the changes in legislation and changes to the complaint categories.

As a result, these figures are ‘experimental statistics’ as defined by the Office for National Statistics, which describes them as a ‘series of statistics that are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed’.