2 hours ago
7
Police officers fear reporting colleagues for wrongdoing because they do not believe they will be supported for breaking a culture of silence, a new survey has found.
Almost half of officers think their complaints against fellow officers are mishandled, the survey seen by the Guardian found. It was carried out by the Police Federation (PFEW), which represents 140,000 rank and file officers across England and Wales.
The findings raise questions about efforts to clean up policing, crucial to which is officers reporting wrongdoing by colleagues.
Policing vowed to clean up the ranks after scandals involving serving officers, the worst of which saw one who, aided by his police powers, murdered a woman, and another who hid behind his uniform to carry out a campaign of sexual violence and terror against women.
The recent Charing Cross police station scandal, involving bigoted comments and bragging about violence against suspects, was revealed by undercover journalism, not because of reports by officers to their superiors.
The PFEW survey found 48% of officers were dissatisfied with how their forces handled police-on-police complaints about misconduct.
Over two-fifths (42%) believe members who report misconduct or act as witnesses are poorly supported, and officers directly link this lack of support to reduced willingness to come forward.
Four-fifths of members believe the level of support available to members has at least some impact on whether they feel able to report a colleague or act as a witness in misconduct cases.
Female officers were more likely (53%) to report bad behaviour than men (43%).
The survey is based on 5,203 responses and there are large variations by police force.
Only 10% in the Metropolitan police, Britain’s biggest force, think complaints against fellow officers are handled well, half the rate of forces in eastern England, the south-east and Wales where that figure is 22%.
The Met, covering London, is the force which has produced policing’s biggest disasters.
Former Met officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped Sarah Everard from a London street in March 2021, before murdering her. An official report said he should never have been a police officer.
The Met also missed repeated chances to identify David Carrick as a danger to women, with numerous complaints received before he was jailed and unmasked as a serial sexual attacker.
Mukund Krishna, chief executive of the PFEW, said: “The predatory behaviour of Couzens and others like him doesn’t just slip through the cracks – it survives in the gaps created by weak supervision, flawed vetting and a culture in which silence feels safer than speaking up.
“Policing’s greatest challenge is not crime, but a corrosive mindset shaped by relentless demand, inadequate leadership and structural weaknesses across a broken system.”
Other findings include that 21% of officers have been involved in a misconduct case in which the perpetrator was another officer.
Female officers are almost three times more likely than men to be victims in these cases.
The report for the PFEW said: “There is widespread dissatisfaction with how forces in England and Wales handle misconduct complaints, with significantly greater concern about police-on-police cases than complaints made by the public.
“While overall dissatisfaction stands at 47%, dissatisfaction is higher among those with the longest service, ethnic minority members, and female members.”
Krishna said that policing must confront the “harm” in its own ranks to win back public trust: “Officers are clear about why silence persists. Confidentiality worries are the most commonly cited barrier. Fear of reporting remains widespread. Many have seen or heard previous cases where support felt absent.
“Four in five officers believe the level of support available directly affects whether they feel able to report misconduct or act as a witness.
“When people do not believe they will be protected, wrongdoing thrives.”
In January the PFEW is launching a victim and witness support programme, offering confidential advice and welfare support for officers who are victims or witnesses of misconduct.
Krishna said: “A service that cannot protect its own people cannot expect to earn the trust of the public.
“For too long, policing has met scrutiny with defensiveness and treated challenge as disloyalty. Renewal demands that we reward honesty and protect those who speak it.”
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “A significant overhaul of our vetting and misconduct procedures is having a significant impact in identifying and dismissing those who should not be in policing. This is not only thanks to the proactive work of our investigators but the professionalism of our employees to challenge and report wrongdoing.
“The rate of dismissals has increased substantially, and whilst it is painful to read of such behaviour, police chiefs are determined to support those who report it and remain resolute in their approach to dealing with it head-on.
“We know that there is more for us to do and further for us to go to ensure we are building a culture of trust and integrity that empowers officers and staff to call out bad behaviour. Ensuring robust disciplinary action is taken against such wrongdoing is crucial in sending a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.”
