Complaints against West Midlands Police officers rise significantly in last year, study shows

The number of complaint allegations made against police officers at West Midlands Police rose by 382% within a year, reveals analysis of the latest Home Office records.

The study looked at recently published records on police misconduct in England and Wales - their analysis of the most recent police misconduct records shows that there were 3,656 complaint allegations made against police officers at West Midlands Police in the year to March 2022, compared to 758 in the previous year.

West Midlands Police was the police force with the eighth highest number of complaint allegations against its police officers in England Wales, according to the study by Movius.ai.

The news comes after two West Midlands Police officers were found guilty of misconduct in public office earlier this summer.

What has West Midlands Police said about the figures?

Responsig to the rise in complaints, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Complaints and Misconduct, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, said: “No officer or member of staff who engages in abusive or inappropriate behaviour should think that they can hide within policing. Police chiefs are committed to rooting out those who betray our professional standards and empowering all officers and staff to call out and report concerns.

“Changes to misconduct regulations have helped policing to determine the facts of a case more quickly, remove or sanction those guilty of misconduct, and exonerate the innocent. Where grounds have been met to carry out accelerated misconduct hearings, the overwhelming majority ended in dismissal, or would have ended in dismissal had the officer still been employed in policing.

“As we take this action, more misconduct will be uncovered. While every example is uncomfortable and difficult, each action we take to detect misconduct is a demonstration of our values, our intolerance of those who don’t uphold them, and our unrelenting determination to uphold the highest standards of professional behaviour.”

The national picture

The number of cases of complaints made against police officers in England and Wales overall also rose in the same year, rising from 48,979 complaint cases (and 87,786 allegations overall) made against police officers in the last year compared to just 14,393 complaint cases in the previous year – a rise of 240%*.

Since 2021, a string of public scandals involving police officers, such as the Sarah Everard case, have helped to cast doubt on the reputation of policing across England and Wales.

Of all the complaints made against police officers in England and Wales, 6.22% (5,461) of complaint cases were related to abuse of position, corruption, discriminatory behaviour, or sexual conduct. 1,803 complaints were also made about officers’ accessing, handling, and disclosing of sensitive information. Only 9 police officers in England and Wales were dismissed the last year of the most recent records, despite the rise in complaints.