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30
Sept
25 North Yorkshire Police officers under investigation for violence against women and girls
A freedom of information request has revealed 25 North Yorkshire Police officers are under investigation for violence against women and girls.
The request asked how many police officers and staff were currently being investigated for violence against women and girls-related misconduct and gross misconduct.
The constabulary uploaded its answer, along with its responses to 45 other freedom of information requests, on its disclosure log, on Saturday, September 14.
The Stray Ferret contacted the force to find out how many of those being investigated were serving police officers, how many had been suspended as a result, and why the figure was so high.
North Yorkshire Police said “all of those under investigation are police officers".
It added:
Of those, some are suspended, some no longer work for the force, some are in non-frontline roles, some have management restrictions in place to remove them from frontline duties and some have no restrictions.
In every instance a robust assessment of the conduct is carried out which always includes an assessment of the risk posed and how it can be mitigated, whether that is through suspension or restrictions.
Misconduct is defined as a breach of standards so serious to justify disciplinary action and gross misconduct means a breach that is so serious as to justify dismissal.
Violence against women and girls has been declared a national emergency and is categorised as:
Some form of inappropriate sexual conduct (rape, sexual assault, abuse of position for sexual purpose and other sexual conduct) and discreditable conduct, which is a defined standards of professional behaviour which would include inappropriate sexual behaviours or domestic abuse.
Earlier this year the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) revealed that two million women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence. The NPCC described this as an “epidemic scale of offending.”
North Yorkshire Police told the Stray Ferret that as September 25 the number of North Yorkshire Police personnel under investigation for offences categorised as violence against women and girls is 17.
They added that the figure of 25 was “a snapshot in time on a given date in July 2024. The figures will fluctuate as cases are concluded or new cases opened.”
A spokesperson for the force said:
Violence against women and girls is a strategic priority for North Yorkshire Police and it will not be tolerated, particularly when it is perpetrated by our own staff. The public must be able to trust us.
We have made much progress over the years, including piloting a number of national projects to protect victims, and improve the integrity of our workforce - the vast majority of whom are hardworking, trustworthy and act with utmost integrity.
Those that do not are in a minority. We will take robust and swift action when any form of wrongdoing comes to light, and it will be investigated thoroughly.
We approached Jo Coles, the Labour York and North Yorkshire deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime, about the figures, asking if it was an unusually high figure, what it meant for women and girls in North Yorkshire, how they plan to tackle it and whether her office would investigate.
She replied:
Violence against women and girls has no place in our region. Tackling it is a top priority for me, as it is for the new Westminster government and, as I set out in my early meetings with the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel, will form a core part of my police and crime plans going forward.
The Stray Ferret also contacted the Centre for Women’s Justice and the Independent Office for Police Conduct about the figure but did not receive a response from either organisation.
Anyone who is concerned about the behaviour of a member of North Yorkshire Police, whether officer, staff or volunteer, can report it via:
• Email to the anti-corruption unit acu@northyorkshire.police.uk
• Call the anti-corruption unit's confidential hotline on 0800 012 1227
• By calling 101 - in an emergency always call 999
• By Crimestoppers anonymous reporting service: Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse | Crimestoppers (theiline.co.uk)
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