Oxford MP concerned by police sexual misconduct complaints

The comments by Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds came after figures revealed 56 allegations were made against the force in the last year.

The Labour shadow secretary of state for women and equalities said it was important police “acted swiftly” against “unacceptable behaviour”.

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It comes just a month after a former top cop was found guilty of “gross misconduct” over his handling of a sexual assault allegation.

Anneliese Dodds is shadow secretary of state for women and equalities

A force spokesman claimed the complaints showed a “positive shift” in police culture as more victims were willing to speak out.

A freedom of information request has revealed allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment against some of the force's 8,500 staff between October 2022 to October this year.

Of the 56 complaints made, 43 were by staff themselves.

Sexual assault was the most common allegation from staff - making up 40 per cent of complaints - and members of the public.

Sexual harassment comprised 30 per cent of allegations by staff.

There were also two incidents where officers allegedly abused their position of power.

In the same period, six police officers were dismissed at hearings.

In November, a misconduct panel ruled that ex-DCI James Senior’s response to allegations against his friend had been “inadequate”.

The former officer, who once headed up a police scheme to stop violence against women and girls, had already left the force before the hearing.

Mrs Dodds said: "It is concerning to hear about numerous complaints of sexual misconduct made against Thames Valley Police.

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“The Government has sadly failed to uphold high standards across policing. Our police do a vital job and it is critical that they have public support.

“That requires acting swiftly against any inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We take a zero tolerance approach to sexual misconduct within our workforce.

“We continue to work tirelessly to root out those in policing who abuse their position.

Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington

“We have put extra detective resources into our professional standards department, the team investigates complaints about our workforce, and introduced training to encourage our people to report issues and challenge poor behaviour.

“We’re making changes to support both those who report people within our force who fall short of our standards, and those who are victims of it. “

“We now have dedicated staff support groups plus an independent advisor to support domestic abuse victims.

“The number of complaints is reflective of a positive shift in our internal culture, where people are now far more willing to speak out and we are willing to listen and take action where evidence exists.

“We have numerous training courses for our new and existing officers and staff to stop sexual misconduct.”

The FOI was obtained from police by LegalExpert.co.uk.