DOZENS of complaints were lodged against Cumbria’s police officers in a year – but there was no case to answer over the majority of allegations, figures suggest.
At the heart of 38 grievances from the public were 77 Cumbria Constabulary officers, who were complained about during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.
And during that year, six more officers were embroiled in misconduct cases of the most serious kind, according to new Home Office figures.
However, no action was taken in relation to more than three quarters of allegations addressed in the year to March 2021 – and the force has among the lowest rate of public complaints in England and Wales.
Read more: Cumbria Constabulary disclose details on disgraced officers
The force told the News & Star it works to ensure lessons are learned in light of any ‘mistake’ or ‘misjudgement’, while every complaint received is investigated according to a rigorous process.
And the adoption of body cameras has helped officers quickly prove or disprove the validity of any complaints, a spokesman said.
Body cameras have helped Cumbria Constabulary tackle complaints
The experimental statistics show 125 claims of misconduct were raised within 38 separate public complaints, but 98 of those allegations were dropped with no action taken.
One case did lead to formal proceedings after the Constabulary found there was a misconduct case to answer, while several more allegations saw officers told to take steps to improve their conduct.
A spokesman said wherever officers are “found to have made a mistake”, the force works to ensure they – and other officers – learn from it.
He said: “All officers are made aware of the issue that arose and how it should have been handled, in order to minimise the possibility of other officers making a similar misjudgement in future.”
Read more: Cumbria Constabulary tackled two 'needle spiking' cases a month
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said a proactive, nationwide effort to root out those who betray professional standards would inevitably uncover more misconduct.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the NPCC’s lead for complaints and misconduct, said: “While every example is uncomfortable and difficult, each is a demonstration of our values, our intolerance of those who don’t uphold them, and our action to maintain them.”
As well as the public complaints, Cumbria police also dealt with an additional 18 “conduct matters” and five more “recordable conduct matters”, i.e. those involving serious allegations that could incorporate action leading to death, injury or claims involving sexual harassment.
Recent examples of Cumbria officers facing disciplinary action include the case of Catherine McFadden.
She was dismissed after a misconduct hearing found she had dishonestly stated she had higher GCSE grades than she had when applying to transfer to the force.
She had also been rude and derogatory to colleagues.
Earlier this year, PC Adam Barski was dismissed after sharing operationally sensitive information and images with a family member and friend while former PC Paul Shearsby resigned before he could be dismissed over altering a witness statement.
Read more: PC accused of making up parts of a witness statement
And last year, PC Sarah Richardson resigned before facing a misconduct hearing over her use of cocaine at a garden party. She was subsequently barred from policing for life.
Other officers have been disciplined or dismissed over other allegations, including sexual misconduct and ticket touting.
Across England and Wales, more than 14,000 public complaints were lodged against forces, along with 1,675 conduct matters and 94 recordable conduct matters.
Read more: West Cumbria officer barred after taking cocaine
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said it was encouraging that there was deemed to be no case to answer in 69% of the allegations involving officers – but she said forces must do more to ensure they have the public’s confidence.
She added: “The public put their trust in the police and expect them to carry out their duties to the highest professional standards.
“Dedicated and decent police officers are the majority, but the minority who fall seriously short of the standards expected of them must be fairly and robustly dealt with.”
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