Police said they will continue to crack down on misconduct after new figures revealed a dozen officers were sacked last year.

Figures released by the College of Policing showed 12 officers were sacked and barred from Thames Valley Police in 2023-24 – a rise from 11 a year earlier.

Of these, five were dismissed and banned while serving, while seven had already resigned.

Since 2018-19, 81 officers have been kicked out of the force serving Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Recent high profile cases include that of disgraced police officer Luke Horner who was jailed last year for meeting a 13-year-old girl for sex.

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PC David Arnaud was also sacked after sexually assaulting a junior officer and Detective Sergeant Charlie Ellis was dismissed after referring to a female colleague as ‘sugar t***’ and suggesting another was a ‘sex worker’.

Last week former PC Kennedy Lungu was barred from serving in the police for life after saying a domestic abuse victim "should have been a better wife" and joking about raping a female colleague.

Meanwhile a female officer – who was granted anonymity by a misconduct panel chairman - was kicked off the force after responding with smiley face emojis and ‘will do’ to a group WhatsApp message that she should ‘give them P***s a good bashing’.

And PC Sulaiman Ahmed was punished for using "unreasonable and disproportionate force" after punching two people in the head and pepper spraying them in the face.

In a statement Thames Valley Police said the force "expects the highest possible standards from each and every member of our workforce.

"We have a culture in which colleagues are increasingly confident and empowered to proactively report any concerns of poor behaviour identified.

"Similarly, we encourage members of the public to report any complaint or conduct matters to the force.

"Our Thames Valley Police mission is for the force to be an excellent force, trusted by all our communities; we know how important it is that all our communities have trust and confidence in us.

"Our officers and staff have millions of positive contacts with the public each and every year and our HMICFRS inspection report highlighted that Thames Valley Police treats the public with fairness and respect, and has an ethical and inclusive culture, where our people are proud to work.

"Where there are concerns over poor behaviour, we will investigate, and remain committed to deal rigorously with any members of our workforce whose behaviours fall below the standards both we and the public expects."

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The figures showed across England and Wales the number of dismissals soared last year with nearly 600 officers kicked out of the service - up 50 per cent from 394 a year earlier.

Dishonesty was the most common reason recorded, in 125 cases, while sexual offences or misconduct was recorded in 74.

Discriminatory behaviour was recorded in 71 cases, and unlawful access to or disclosure of information in 66.

Eighteen officers were sacked for being part of a discriminatory WhatsApp group, 18 for possessing indecent images of children, and 33 for abusing their position for a sexual purpose.

More than one reason can be cited as grounds for dismissal.