Greater Manchester Police: Ninety-eight officers accused of sex offences

Some 82 police officers are under investigation and 16 officers await a misconduct panel hearing

Ninety-eight officers from England's second largest police force are being investigated or face misconduct hearings over alleged sexual offences.

That is 1.2% of 8,000 officers at Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

All forces have been asked to check staff after Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick recently admitted raping nine women.

GMP said all complaints were taken "extremely seriously" and "investigated objectively".

Kate Green, the newly-appointed deputy mayor for policing in Greater Manchester, said the figure of 98 officers being accused of sexual misconduct was "very, very disturbing".

The number, which was revealed at a police and crime panel meeting on Thursday, included 82 police officers under investigation and 16 police officers awaiting a misconduct panel hearing.

David Carrick was suspended from duty when he was arrested in 2021

Ms Green told BBC Radio Manchester: "That represents a small minority of GMP but we don't want a single officer in our police service who is abusing their public office.

"I think it's not different from wider society - we know we still have real issues around gender-based violence and misogyny.

"If we've got one officer responsible for this kind of behaviour, it means everyone loses trust in all of our policing and we can't have that."

'Fully assessed'

Dismissals of GMP officers for sexual offences or misconduct more than doubled in the past twelve months, from five in 2021 to 12 in 2022, the force said.

Following Carrick's guilty plea, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) asked forces to check staff recruited before the introduction of tougher vetting in 2006.

Ms Green said GMP was "absolutely determined to root out every single officer who is responsible for this kind of sexual abuse" and they would be dismissed.

Deputy Mayor for Policing Kate Green says the number of officers being investigated is "very disturbing"

Terry Woods, deputy chief constable at GMP, said the force was taking all allegations against officers "extremely seriously".

"Where people believe officers have acted wrongly, I encourage them to make a complaint and assure them that all complaints are ethically recorded, fully assessed, and investigated objectively."

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