More than a dozen officers dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police in five years

The National Police Chiefs Council, a staff body for police leaders, said a "tiny minority" of police officers undermine public trust and confidence in policing.

More than a dozen police officers have faced dismissal from Nottinghamshire Police over the past five years, new figures show.

Home Office data shows 14 officers have been dismissed from the force since April 2017, including four in the year to March.

The figures refer to officers who were made redundant, made to resign, or had their contracts terminated, including any asked to leave the force due to misconduct.

Across England and Wales 192 officers were sacked in 2021-22, up from 179 the year before.

Though dismissals are not always due to misconduct, the conduct of police officers has come under greater scrutiny in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens.

Data from the College of Policing, a professional body, shows nationally 257 officers were placed on the ‘barred list’ in the year to March 2021, including 10 in Nottinghamshire.

This means they can no longer serve in the police, having been found to have committed gross misconduct while in the force.

The number of officers added to the list is higher than the number of dismissals, as many instead choose to resign or retire – 118 did so nationally in 2021.

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Detective Chief Inspector Andy Reynolds, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “These figures demonstrate that, on the majority of occasions, our officers behave in the right way and maintain high professional standards.

“The force is committed to holding its officers to account on behalf of the public and should any officer or staff member misconduct themselves, they will be held to account.

“For the most serious proven allegations, officers will face dismissal from Nottinghamshire Police and they will be banned nationally from re-entering policing, for life.”

The National Police Chiefs Council said a ‘tiny minority’ of police officers undermine public trust and confidence in policing.

Police forces are also grappling with increased resignations, the Home Office figures show.

The number of officers leaving the force has reached an all-time high across England and Wales, fuelled in part by a surge in voluntary resignations.

In the year to March 3,653 officers resigned, a significant increase on the 2,154 the year before, and including 60 in Nottinghamshire.