Police force sacked 39 over sexual misconduct

A report published last week is the latest effort by Thames Valley Police to "improve confidence" in reporting

A total of 39 police officers and staff have been sacked after sexual misconduct was proven against them over recent years, Thames Valley Police (TVP) said.

The largest non-metropolitan force in England and Wales, TVP published its most recent report into sexual misconduct by its staff last week.

It said 321 allegations were made against officers and staff between April 2020 and the end of June, with 48% - 153 of them – classed as having a "case to answer".

TVP said its report was designed "to improve confidence in reporting these matters".

The figures show 86 officers and staff were sanctioned in relation to sexual misconduct, including those sacked 39 officers and staff.

Between April 2020 and the end of June, it gave 12 officers or staff final written warnings and another 12 written warnings.

Another 23 were told to undergo reflective practice.

Two TVP officers based in Cowley, Oxford, were sacked in June after the force found they lied about a sex video that included a woman one of them had been having an affair with.

PCs John Birch and Daniel Gunston were found guilty of gross misconduct and dismissed, with one of their explanations found to be "highly implausible".

A Berkshire officer was sacked in July after he was found to have touched a colleague in a way that was "deliberate, unwarranted and unnecessary".

PC Ben Lane, who was based in Berkshire, touched the man inappropriately over his clothing while at work in September 2024, a panel found.

Mr Lane, who quit the force before his misconduct hearing, claimed he was trying to demonstrate an alleged sexual assault he was investigating and touched his colleague on the back of his right leg.

The panel, led by TVP's assistant chief constable Dennis Murray, said that too was "highly implausible".