Report: Male police officers accused of domestic violence were promoted | Police

Male police officers accused of domestic violence were promoted to positions where they were expected to address rape and violence against women rather than being punished for it, according to a new report.

The report by the Centre for Women's Justice, based on the testimony of more than 200 women who claim their partners in police positions have been assaulted, concludes that despite promises by police chiefs to make changes, little progress has been made and the failures are “systemic”.

Almost half of the women were police officers. The vast majority reported incidents and failures in the past four years.

The alleged abuser of a victim was promoted to chief inspector despite two women accusing him of rape.

Another male police officer, against whom two women had made two separate allegations, was later transferred to his force's anti-corruption division.

In another case, it is alleged that an offender led his police force's efforts to protect women from violence. His victim, who was also a police officer, was given “special leave” while her alleged attacker continued to work. She has since left the force.

The CWJ's report follows its super-complaint four years ago, which found that despite a flood of initiatives, little has changed.

The report states: “There continues to be ample evidence that, despite numerous allegations of abuse, far too many police officers continue to evade sanctions. Some of them have worked their way up the ranks and have even been promoted to positions responsible for tackling rape and domestic violence.”

“45 percent of the women who have come forward are themselves police officers or employees and often file a complaint if they dare to report a colleague.”

Police chiefs vowed to make changes following the super-complaint, and pressure increased following a series of revelations that police failings had allowed two officers to attack women with disastrous consequences.

The Angiolini Inquiry found that Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer, but vetting failures and the bungling of sexual assault allegations against him led to him becoming an elite Metropolitan Police officer entrusted with a gun. He kidnapped and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021.

Despite numerous complaints against him, David Carrick survived his stay in the Metropolitan Police Department before being convicted of 85 serious crimes, including 48 rapes.

According to the CWJ report, the police are still failing victims: “They continue to struggle with a lack of independence in investigations, trivialisation of crimes by investigating officers, a disproportionate response to counter-allegations, failure to investigate misconduct and poor data collection that fails to establish links even when multiple allegations are made.”

The report contains harrowing case studies. A woman identified only as “Suzanne,” who is a serving police officer, said she and her ex-husband's later wife had accused him of domestic violence, but no action was taken. The male police officer “continues to work in a frontline role that brings him into contact with vulnerable victims/survivors,” the report said.

The British police, the UK's largest police force, were found to have 16 allegations in the report, the most of any of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In Devon and Cornwall, 15 allegations were made and the force is being sued for failings by women – including women who served in its ranks.

The CWJ found that men were using the system to take revenge on those they allegedly attacked.

“Farah” (not her real name) reported her partner, a police officer, for assaulting her and photographing her injuries. Officers from the same station where her partner worked investigated, but no action was taken.

The report states: “Three days later, she was arrested on counter-charges of harassment. She was 20 weeks pregnant at the time and was held in a police cell for an entire day.

“She was subsequently released on bail but had to appear for questioning three times. The third time was just three days after she gave birth… The case against her was only dropped when the CPS was called in.”

Farah was also accused of contacting her alleged attacker in breach of her bail conditions when she called 101 to leave a message saying she had given birth to their child.

The report says police chiefs are developing plans without considering victims' experiences.

Harriet Wistrich of the CWJ said: “The stories we are seeing are alarming and despite the initiatives and announcements that have been made, we are yet to see any change.”

Maggie Blyth, Deputy Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Executive of the College of Policing, said: “We know that change has not happened fast enough and that much more needs to be done to ensure women and girls feel safe.”

“We have made improvements to weed out those who are not suitable to wear the uniform and to ensure our workforce adheres to our code of ethics and meets the highest standards. We will ensure investigations into crime and misconduct are conducted impartially and it is critical that we listen, support and take a victim-first approach.”