Police Misconduct
Outcomes & Statistics (UK)

1. The Scale of Complaints

The 43 territorial forces logged 94,940 complaint cases in 2024/25, according to the IOPC's Police complaints statistics for England and Wales 2024/25 (experimental statistics). A complaint can be about service or policy as well as about an individual's conduct.

Complaint does not equal misconduct. The Home Office says only 2% of complaint allegations involving officers handled under Schedule 3 to the Police Reform Act 2002 were investigated under Special Procedures, the only route by which a complaint can lead to misconduct proceedings (year ending 31 March 2025).

2. From Complaint to Formal Application

In the year ending 31 March 2025, forces finalised 15,843 misconduct allegations across 7,108 cases, from complaints under Special Procedures (14%), internal conduct matters (61%) and recordable conduct matters (25%). 31% of allegations (4,928) had a case to answer, and 81% of those were referred to misconduct proceedings.

1,687 officers were referred to proceedings: 724 to misconduct meetings, 539 to misconduct hearings and 424 to accelerated hearings. That is 1.1% of the 155,886 officers (including special constables) in post at 31 March 2024, the workforce figure the Home Office uses for comparison.

4,723 allegations were referred to learning outcomes, which the Home Office groups as learning from reflection, reflective practice and the Reflective Practice Review (RPRP), a non-disciplinary route for lower-level concerns.

3. Gross Misconduct Hearing Outcomes

At a misconduct hearing or accelerated hearing the possible outcomes are dismissal without notice, reduction in rank, a final written warning, a written warning, referral to reflective practice or no further action. Of officers found to have committed gross misconduct at a hearing or accelerated hearing, 88% were dismissed (82% at hearings, 94% at accelerated hearings).

Home Office, cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025. Dismissal includes former officers found that they would have been dismissed. 20% of officers at hearings received a written or final written warning. These cases predate the presumption of dismissal for proven gross misconduct that came in on 28 May 2025.

4. Dismissals in Workforce Context

695 officers were dismissed after misconduct proceedings in cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025 (303 after hearings, 392 after accelerated hearings), up from 563 the year before. Both years equal 0.4% of the officer workforce. A further 10 officers were reduced in rank.

5. What Allegations Are About

• Discreditable conduct: 31% of allegations
• Sexual conduct: 53% had a case to answer
• Discriminatory behaviour: 90% of case to answer allegations referred to proceedings
• Access or disclosure of information: up 43% on the year

Home Office, allegations finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025, by IOPC allegation category. The bulletin does not break dismissals down by category.

6. Suspension Data Context

At 31 March 2025 there were 923 open officer suspensions; 726 began and 744 ended during that year. The median suspension lasted 273 days, 62% lasted under a year and 87% under two years (Home Office). Suspension is not a sanction and does not decide the outcome. The rules tightened from 13 July 2026, when forces became required to suspend where the suspension condition is met, so these figures predate the current rules. See suspension and restricted duties.

7. Barred List Referrals

Referral is not discretionary: a force must report every officer dismissed at misconduct proceedings, and every former officer found that they would have been dismissed, to the College of Policing for the barred list (Police Act 1996, section 88A). The Home Office counted 695 such officer outcomes in cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025. The College of Policing separately reports that 735 officers (and 31 special constables) were added to the barred list in the 12 months to 31 March 2025, up from 593 the year before. The figures differ because they count different things and periods; the barred list also includes police staff.

8. Appeal Outcomes

There were 55 appeals to the Police Appeals Tribunal in cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025, about 5.9% of hearings and accelerated hearings. The chair dismissed 23; of 28 heard, 6 were upheld, and 4 of those officers were reinstated with less severe action than dismissal (Home Office; it warns that recording of appeals may double-count or under-count). See also our analysis of Police Appeals Tribunal decisions.

9. IOPC vs Internal PSD

Most allegations start inside forces: 61% of allegations finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025 came from internal conduct matters. Recordable conduct matters, which include matters forces must refer to the IOPC such as serious assaults, sexual offences and corruption, made up 25%. For referred matters the IOPC decides whether the force investigates, the force investigates under IOPC direction, or the IOPC investigates itself. See IOPC investigations.

10. Long-Term Trends

Figures are comparable only from the year ending 31 March 2023. Allegations finalised rose 20% in the year ending 31 March 2025, the second yearly rise, and officers referred to proceedings rose 29%, while dismissals stayed at 0.4% of the workforce. The median case took 210 days to finalise (478 days where there was at least one proceeding). Later changes, including the May 2025 dismissal presumption and the July 2026 suspension rules, are not yet reflected in published figures.

11. Common Misinterpretations