20 Police Scotland officers convicted of sexual offence crimes since 2014

More than 100 serving police officers have been subject to sexual offence allegations since 2014, with 20 convicted, new data shows.

The figures, obtained by Scotland on Sunday, also show 111 police officers have been subject to allegations of on-duty sexual misconduct in the same time period.

Just five officers were dismissed following internal investigations, with 17 allowed to resign or retire following investigation of the alleged misconduct, figures show.

It comes amid renewed focus on the behaviour of the police following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

In total, 111 police officers faced accusations of on-duty sexual misconduct since 2014.

London’s most senior police officer, Cressida Dick, resigned earlier this month as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police following mounting criticism over the culture of misogyny and racism within her force.

The most senior officer under investigation in Scotland is Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Campbell amid a probe by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner after a complaint of a “sexual nature” was made late in 2021.

Charities said the Scottish figures, released under freedom of information legislation, were not surprising and required Police Scotland to “work proactively” to address any culture of prejudice and misogyny within the force.

Sandie Barton, director of operations at Rape Crisis Scotland, said the numbers of sexual offences among police officers are likely underreported despite the figures being “very concerning”.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Cambell has been suspended from duty (Photo: Getty Images)

She said: “Sexism, misogyny and sexual violence are present throughout Scottish society and no workplace or organisation is immune.

“There are particular – and quite unique – power dynamics within the police that are more open to abuse and make reporting an officer even more challenging and isolating.

“These statistics show that it’s so incredibly important that police work proactively to address issues of misogyny, racism and all forms of prejudice within their force.

"This means not just waiting for issues to arise and dealing with these robustly, but taking strong and sustained action to foster a culture of respect and equality.”

Rachel Adamson, a co-director of gender equality charity, Zero Tolerance, said she was “saddened by not surprised” by the figures.

She said: “Violence against women and girls, including sexual offences, is rife in Scotland. These figures show it is no different among the police.

“This is once again about men’s abuse of power. Powerful men intimidate and abuse women throughout society.

"Until women have an equal place in society to men, it will continue. We need gender equality to prevent violence against women.”

The figures – which only cover those linked to Police Scotland misconduct cases – show that 105 police officers have been subject to criminal allegations involving a sexual circumstances since 2014/15.

The highest year for allegations was 2019/20, with allegations against 17 police officers.

Of these 105 officers, 37 were charged over the eight year period, with eight in 2017/18 the year with the highest number.

In total, 20 officers were convicted of offences with a sexual circumstance, with 2017/18 again the year with the highest number with six officers convicted.

Three special constables in the time period were also convicted of sexual offences.

Figures also show 111 police officers were subject to on-duty allegations of misconduct with a sexual misconduct since 2014/15.

Such allegations are subject to investigation by Police Scotland and can result in a meeting, a hearing, written warnings and potentially dismissal.

However, of those 111 officers investigated, five were dismissed, with just one dismissed without notice in 2019/20.

The most common result, to 26 allegations, was ‘management action’, with 25 misconduct cases ongoing, one from as long ago as 2015/16.

A further 19 officers faced no action, while 17 retired or resigned.

Justice spokesperson for Scottish Labour, Pauline McNeill, said the figures were “deeply concerning”.

She said: “These figures are deeply concerning and will do little to assure women that complaints of sexual harassment will be taken seriously.

“For 111 police officers to have faced on-duty allegations of sexual misconduct, something is clearly going wrong within Police Scotland. The justice minister should be asking difficult questions of the forces’ management.

"We have seen serious cases of sexual misconduct and criminality in several police forces across the UK. Clearly this is a widespread problem that needs rooted out across the country

“We are right to demand that those working in law and order hold themselves to the highest level of conduct. We need to see major change in the culture of Police Scotland. This is simply not acceptable.”

Russell Findlay, the community safety spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, said the majority of police officers would be “appalled” at those within the police who committed sexual misconduct.

He said: “Dame Elish Angiolini laid bare some harsh truths about a policing culture tainted by sexism and other forms of discrimination and a failure to hold wrongdoers to account.

“Instead of acting swiftly to implement her many recommendations, SNP ministers have dithered. This means that officers can still resign or retire during investigations, which means victims often do not get justice.

“Far too often, these cases are shrouded in secrecy and if the SNP government don’t take the necessary action, public confidence will be further damaged.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader and former police officer, Wendy Chamberlain, added: “The findings are heartbreaking and horrific, however it should not lead the people to lose faith in our police officers.

“Sexual crimes strip victims of their power and dignity, perpetrators should be punished regardless of their occupation.

"Police Scotland must work even harder to make sure that nobody who has committed such horrific crime can go unpunished, especially one of their own.”

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “All sexual crime is abhorrent and every report made to us is fully investigated. We take a victim-centred approach but our investigation is perpetrator focused irrespective of who the offender is.

“Values based policing, which reflects and represents our communities is vital to public confidence and consent from which policing draws its legitimacy. That bond of trust is maintained and enhanced by our commitment to improving standards where we can do better.

"Police Scotland demands the highest levels of integrity from our officers and staff and when someone fails to meet this standard we take the appropriate action.

“Under current conduct regulations, we have no ability to prevent an officer from resigning. Where an officer remains in service, further action will be considered by our Professional Standards Department at the conclusion of criminal proceedings.”

On the investigation into Temp ACC Campbell, a spokesperson for the PIRC said: “We have been directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to investigate an allegation of potential criminality involving a senior officer of Police Scotland.

“Once the investigation is concluded, a report on our findings will be submitted to the COPFS for consideration.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The vast majority of our police officers and police staff work tirelessly to protect our communities. For the small minority who fall short of the standards expected of them there are robust processes in place to investigate misconduct led by the designated Deputy Chief Constable. If there are any allegations of criminality, Police Scotland will refer the matter to the Crown office.

“Ministers commissioned Dame Elish Angiolini in 2018 to review complaints handling, investigations and misconduct in policing and The Scottish Government accepted the majority of recommendations.

“We will consult on legislative proposals this year with a view of delivering new laws that improve transparency and further strengthens public confidence in the police. This will consult on areas such as gross misconduct proceedings; extending Barred and Advisory Lists and vetting processes.

“These measures will aim to ensure that anyone who does not meet the high standards required are not able to continue to work within policing.”

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