HC Deb 19 May 1980 vol 985 cc30-4W
Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to the question of the hon. Member for Oldham, West on 15 January regarding the number of police officers convicted of assault from 1970 to 1979 and the penalties imposed, he will publish in the Official Report his letter to the hon. Member of 24 April.

Mr. Brittan

Following is a copy of the relevant letter and enclosuresAs you know, in answer to your Question on 15th January I said that I had asked chief officers of police for such information as may be available about the number of police officers convicted of assault, and the penalties imposed, in the ten-year period 1970–1979. The information given in the reports which I have received from chief officers is summarised in the attached three tables. I should explain that the information for the years before 1975 may not be comprehensive, since not all forces whose boundaries changed on 1st April 1974 as a result of local government reorganisation now hold records which fully cover that earlier period. You might also be interested to know that eleven of the officers resigned voluntarily either while awaiting trial or on conviction. With one exception, the remaining officers were found guilty of disciplinary offences of criminal conduct; of these officers four were dismissed from the force and four were required to resign.

TABLE 1
POLICE OFFICERS(1) FOUND GUILTY OF ASSAULT WHILST ON DUTY BY SENTENCE OR ORDER IMPOSED ENGLAND AND WALES
Number of police officers
Year Total found guilty and sentenced Absolute discharge Recognisances (bound over) Conditional discharge Fine Suspended sentence Immediate imprisonment
1970 … … … … … … … 2 — — — 2 — —
1971 … … … … … … … 3 — — — 2 — 1
1972 … … … … … … … 2 — — — 2 — —
1973 … … … … … … … 3 — — 1 1 1 —
1974 … … … … … … … 5 1 — 1 3 — —
1975 … … … … … … … 4 — — — 3 — 1
1976 … … … … … … … 4 — — 1 2 — 1
1977 … … … … … … … 11 1 1 1 5 2 1
1978 … … … … … … … 6 1 — — 5 — —
1979 … … … … … … … 10 1 — 1 5 1 2
1979–80 … … … … … … … 50 4 1 5 30 4 6
of which:
Grievous bodily harm(2) … … … … 2 — — — 1 — 1
Actual bodily harm(3) … … … … 37 3 1 2 22(7) 4(8) 5
Common Law assault … … … … 1 — — 1 — — —
Common assault (indictable)(4) … … … 5 1 — 1 3 — —
Common assault(5) … … … … 4 — — — 4 — —
Aggravated assault on women and children(6) … 1 — — 1 — —
(1) Includes those who resigned voluntarily before trial or on conviction.
(2) Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
(3) Section 47 ibid.
(4) Section 47(2) ibid.
(5) Section 42 ibid.
(6) Section 43 ibid.
(7) Of whom 2 also fined for common assault.
(8) Of whom 2 (in 1977) also fined for actual bodily harm.
TABLE 2
FINES IMPOSED ON POLICE OFFICERS FOR EACH ASSAULT COMMITTED WHILST ON DUTY ENGLAND AND WALES 1970–79
Number of offences
Offence Number of police officers fined Number of offences of assault involved Amount of fine (£)(1)
5 10 15 20 25 30 50 75 100 200 250 300 500
Grievous bodily harm … … … 1 2 — — — — — — 2 — — — — — —
Actual bodily harm … … … … 22 29(2) 1 5 1 — 7 2 5 — 1 3 2 1 1
Common assault (indictable) … … 3 5 1 2 — 1 — — — 1 — — — — —
Common assault … … … … 4 6(3) — — — — 3 — 2 — 1 — — — —
Total … … … … … 30 42 2 7 1 1 10 2 9 1 2 3 2 1 1
(1) Amount of fine imposed for each individual offence.
(2) Includes the 2 offences mentioned at note 8 to table 1.
(3) Includes the 2 offences mentioned at note 7 to table 1.
TABLE 3
SENTENCES OF IMMEDIATE IMPRISONMENT IMPOSED ON POLICE OFFICERS FOR EACH ASSAULT COMMITTED WHILST ON DUTY BY LENGTH OF SENTENCE ENGLAND AND WALES 1970–79
Number of offences
Offence Number of police officers sentenced to immediate imprisonment Number of offences of assault involved Length of imprisonment (months)(1)
one Three Six Nine Twelve Twenty-four
Grievous bodily harm … … 1 1 — — — — — 1
Actual bodily harm … … … 5 8 1 — 1 3 3 —
Total … … … … 6 9 1 — 1 3 3 1
(1) Length of imprisonment imposed for each individual offence.