MORE than a dozen police officers in the county have been accused of sexual assault in the last three years, it can be revealed.

Just four of the 15 officers accused of carrying out sexual assaults have been suspended by Cumbria Police.

But the force has emphasised that it conducted 'full investigations' into each case, and the majority were not upheld or found no case to answer.

The figures, released under freedom of information laws, include data from 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Of those accused of sexual assault, 13 of the 15 officers are still employed by the force.

No officers suspended have been dismissed from the force at this time.

Five officers have been accused of sexual harassment in the same time period.

Of those, two have faced suspension and none have been dismissed.

Focus on police conduct has been heightened since the murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police Officer and a former members the the Civil Nuclear Constabulary based at Sellafield.

A Cumbria Constabulary spokesman said: “Officers and staff of Cumbria Constabulary are held to an extremely high standard of integrity and professionalism and, where this standard is not met, they will be held to account.

“Any complaint received will be subject to thorough investigation and any shortfall in professional behaviour will be upheld in line with Police Regulations.

“Full investigations found the cases against the majority of these officers were not upheld or there was no case to answer.

“Our officers routinely wear body-worn video in their interactions with the public, which allows for clear evidence of what has occurred.

“Our officers and staff carry out hundreds of thousands of interactions with the public each year.

"They are encouraged to challenge any behaviours or attitudes in their colleagues that do not align with our values.

“There are clear reporting processes and mechanisms to do this and hold people to account.

“Officers and staff receive regular guidance on what is expected of them and all, as members of the Constabulary, sign up to a clear Code of Ethics.

“I would encourage anyone who has concerns on the behaviour of police officers to report this to our Professional Standards Department."