More than 60 allegations of sexual misconduct made against Nottinghamshire Police officers and staff in 2022

The claims were made against 22 serving or former officers or staff members and are the highest number in the last six years.

A report on the figures made public by the force also reveals 40 of the 63 allegations remained under investigation as of December 31, 2022.

The force says the number of allegations made has “increased significantly”, adding it decided to publish the figures to improve transparency following questions about police conduct and standards nationally.

Detective Superintendent Hayley Williams, force head of professional standards directorate, said: “Our rise in numbers reflects our determination to root out any incidents of sexual misconduct because it will not be tolerated in the force.”

The force’s report shows a total of 94 allegations have been made against 49 police officers or staff since 2017, including 63 in 2022. Allegations include rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and other sexual conduct.

The force said further details on the progress and outcomes of the 40 outstanding allegations will be published in the summer.

Police conduct nationally remains under public scrutiny in the wake of the high-profile court convictions of numerous serving Metropolitan Police officers.

Most recently, Met Police officer David Carrick was jailed for life after committing 48 separate rapes over a 17-year period, while Wayne Couzens, another Met officer, was also jailed for life for the kidnap, rape and subsequent murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.

Both officers passed several force vetting processes despite previous concerns about their past behaviour being raised.

The Casey Report, published by Dame Louise Casey last month, exposed further issues at the Met.

It found discrimination issues were not tackled effectively, with the force deemed “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic”. Other problems included widespread bullying, female officers and staff “routinely” facing sexism and misogyny, and “deep-seated homophobia”.

However, Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, told councillors in March she had been “absolutely assured” these issues were not reflected locally.

Nottinghamshire Police’s report shows seven of the 63 allegations made in 2022 were later withdrawn, while nine were determined as “service acceptable” for the employee in question.

Six investigations concluded there was “no case to answer”, while one allegation was found to have a case. This resulted in a former employee facing a misconduct hearing, and this member of staff “would have been dismissed” if they were still serving, the statistics reveal.

The figures show, between 2017 and 2022, 11 officers were disciplined for sexual misconduct allegations, with seven classed as on-duty, serving police officers. Two disciplined staff were former officers with a further two former members of staff.

Of these, three serving officers have been dismissed, two former officers would have been dismissed and two former staff also would have been dismissed.

The force says the number of employees facing sexual misconduct allegations is “small” compared with the wider 3,800 staff base it employs.

The report adds that the increase in allegations shows confidence in the force is growing.

Ms Williams said: “Every allegation will be investigated fully and if it is found an officer or member of staff has acted below the high standards we expect of them, disciplinary procedures will take place, which can include dismissal.”