§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been(a) cautioned, (b) dismissed and (c) charged for inappropriate behaviour while on duty, listing in each case the (i) rule breached and (ii) police force involved. [14438]
§ Mr. Michael[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The information available, covering the period April 1996 to March 1997, is contained in the table below. Figures relate to disciplinary cases which result in a punishment being awarded—they do not include those in which police officers were charged but found not guilty or the charges not pursued. Information on the rule breached, and whether the offence was committed whilst the officer was on or off duty is not collected centrally.
373W
Most serious punishment awarded as a result of disciplinary proceedings 1996–97 Number of officers Police force Dismissal Caution Other Total Avon and Somerset 0 4 3 7 Bedfordshire 0 0 3 3 Cambridgeshire 1 1 2 4 Cheshire 1 2 2 5 Cleveland 1 2 3 6 Cumbria 0 0 1 1 Derbyshire 0 2 1 3 Devon and Cornwall 0 3 18 21 Dorset 0 0 6 6 Durham 1 1 1 3 Essex 0 0 7 7 Gloucestershire 1 0 4 5 Greater Manchester 0 1 9 10 Hampshire 1 1 10 12 Hertfordshire 0 1 4 5 Humberside 3 0 12 15 Kent 0 3 15 18 Lancashire 0 2 0 2 Leicestershire 0 0 9 9 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 City of London 0 1 2 3 Merseyside 0 2 10 12 Metropolitan Police 12 8 69 89 Norfolk 1 2 5 8 Northamptonshire 0 1 1 2 Northumbria 0 3 5 8 North Yorkshire 1 0 7 8 Nottinghamshire 2 0 13 15 South Yorkshire 3 1 3 7 Staffordshire 0 0 4 4 Suffolk 1 0 3 4 Surrey 1 0 0 1 Sussex 0 7 12 19 Thames Valley 1 1 1 3 Warwickshire 0 0 1 1 West Mercia 0 0 5 5 West Midlands 6 0 15 21
Most serious punishment awarded as a result of disciplinary proceedings 1996–97 Number of officers Police force Dismissal Caution Other Total West Yorkshire 0 0 13 13 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 Dyfed Powys 0 0 3 3 Gwent 0 0 4 4 North Wales 0 0 0 0 South Wales 0 0 5 5 Total 37 49 291 377