The Newshound

A record 757 police officers were sacked and barred in a year for dishonesty, sex offences and discriminatory WhatsApp groups

Dishonesty was the most common reason for dismissal among a record 757 officers added to England and Wales's police barred list in the year to March 2026, accounting for 142 of those banned.
Dishonesty was the most common reason for dismissal among a record 757 officers added to England and Wales's police barred list in the year to March 2026, accounting for 142 of those banned.

Five officers were sacked for rape and 87 for sexual offences or misconduct, with dishonesty — covering 142 cases — the single most common reason for dismissal, according to College of Policing data for the year to March 2026. The 757 total surpasses last year's record of 735 and is more than double the annual average of the four preceding years.

The Met Police topped the force-by-force table with 195 officers barred, followed by Greater Manchester and West Midlands.

Twenty-four officers were sacked for links to discriminatory WhatsApp groups and five for 'keyboard jamming' — faking computer activity while away from their desks.

Since the barred list launched in December 2017, a total of 3,591 officers have been permanently banned from policing in England and Wales.

MoreDaily Mail NewsRecord number of officers sacked and barred from policing this yearThe IndependentPolice officers banned from serving reaches record highLiverpool EchoNumber of Merseyside Police officers barred from service in past year - Liverpool EchoExpress and StarWest Midlands Police among forces with highest number of officers barred from service - Express and StarHemel Today14 Herts Police officers banned from serving following misconduct proceedings - Hemel TodayBucks HeraldData reveals how many Thames Valley Police officers were added to barred list last yearEvening StandardNearly 200 Met Police officers barred from service in the past year
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →