Big rise in police officers reported for abusing their role for sexual purposes
The number of police officers being reported for abusing their role for sexual gain has soared in the past year following changes to strengthen how the issue is investigated.
Two thirds of the cases investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) between 2018 and 2021 happened in the past year.
The IOPC’s Deputy Director General Claire Bassett says it’s proof that allegations of sexual abuse are taken “very seriously”.
“Those figures have gone up because it has become a mandatory referral, so people have to report it to us now,” she said.
“But we would hope it also reflects an increased awareness where we are seeing fellow officers, for example, reporting people who they believe might be doing that.”
From 2018 to 2021, 66 officers and members of police staff faced disciplinary proceedings for alleged “abuse of position for a sexual purpose” or APSP.
Of those, 42 occurred in the past year.
In 63 of the 66 cases, misconduct was proven with six people convicted of crimes, three of whom were jailed.
The increase in individuals being investigated comes at a time when trust in police has been seriously eroded.
Wayne Couzens pretended to be on duty when he kidnapped 33-year-old Sarah Everard, before raping and then murdering her earlier this year.
He is now serving a whole life sentence after admitting his crimes.
Wayne Couzens raped and murdered Sarah Everard
Other cases of alleged serious sexual offences by officers are currently going through the court system.
But despite the increase in cases being investigated, Jessica [not her real name], who had no idea she was in a year-long relationship with an undercover officer back in the 90s, is unconvinced.
“If they break the law, then surely there should be absolutely zero tolerance policy,” she said.
“Far too many police officers that have done something wrong – it’s sort of swept under the carpet. There’s the sort of the policy of ‘the old boys club’.”
She added that too many officers leave the police rather than take the consequences of their actions.
“There needs to be proper accountability to actually stop officers resigning rather than facing misconduct hearings,” she said.
Of the 63 cases, in which misconduct was proved, 29 individuals were dismissed and 10 resigned prior to their hearing.
Anna Birley from the campaign group Reclaim These Streets, which organised a vigil on Clapham Common following Sarah’s murder, believes more needs to be done to identify those who pose a risk.
“If we are only measuring incidences of harassment and violence, we’re missing all of the warning signs and essentially this report from the IOPC talks about sexual offences, where an officer abuses their power, but that’s the worst case scenario,” she said.
“Before that point that officer has probably done things which make women uncomfortable. Wayne Couzen’s nickname was ‘the rapist’.”
The vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common in March
Ms Bassett said the IOPC is already challenging “very inappropriate content on social media and network groups”.
“We see sexist or misogynistic language, homophobic jokes that sort of thing,” she said.
“We have seen some officers reporting fellow officers and we’d like to see much more of that.
“We’d like to see a zero tolerance of this sort of behaviour and we think if we root out that and change the culture, that will have an impact across the board.”
Alleged cases of APSP currently make up nearly 60% of investigations by the IOPC.
But the data does not provide a complete picture of all action being taken as forces can also carry out their own inquiries.
A judo Olympian has said her family is “devastated” after the discovery of body in the search for her missing brother.
Lubjana Piovesana, 28, appealed for help to find her younger sibling, Luis, 26, on Saturday. He had not been seen since the early hours of Friday morning.
A body was found in the River Frome near Napier Road in Eastville, Bristol, at around 6pm today, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Formal identification is yet to take place, the force added.
In a post on Instagram, Ms Piovesana wrote: “Hello everyone, Luis has been found.
“We are completely devastated but he has passed away.
“I am grateful for everyone’s support. And I am so sorry this happened.
“Luis was my little brother and loved by everyone. I wish he could have seen the love from everyone. He will be remembered by us all.”
The post was signed off with a dove emoji.
Luis Piovesana did not have any money or his mobile phone with him when he went missing, police said. Pics: Avon & Somerset Police
Mr Piovesana was last seen at around 3am on Friday at the Eastgate retail park, which is less than a 10-minute walk away from where the body was found.
He had travelled there by taxi from a venue in Little Ann Street, St Jude’s, a 10-minute drive away.
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The 26-year-old’s family spent the weekend searching for him, and asked people to check their sheds and gardens.
His partner, Laurin Bohler, said loved ones had travelled from Birmingham to help.
Mounted officers and police drones were also involved in the investigation.
Ms Piovesana competed for Team GB before switching to the Austrian team, and defeated British competitor Lucy Renshall in the women’s -63kg judo event at the Paris Olympics last year.
A man has been jailed for life for murdering his son’s girlfriend after she returned home from the school run.
Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police were called to an address on Bigyn Road in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, on 5 July last year.
Sophie Evans, 30, had sustained 72 separate injuries on the outside of the body, “all but three of them new injuries”.
Richard Jones, who is now 50, believed he was “being taken advantage of financially” by Ms Evans and his son, with whom she was in a relationship.
While the purpose of Jones’s visit was “purely normal”, he confronted her on that morning about his suspicions and Ms Evans’s reaction was such that Jones “lost [his] temper”.
He subjected Ms Evans to “gross violence” before ultimately strangling her and leaving the property to run errands, including ordering a new bank card and buying pastries from a bakery.
Richard Jones. Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police
‘Last time on their school run’
During sentencing on Monday, the defendant kept his head bowed for most of the hearing.
He will have to serve at least 20 years behind bars before he can be considered for release by the parole board.
Swansea Crown Court heard Ms Evans was the mother of two young children.
Passing his sentence, Judge Geraint Walters said Ms Evans “had just taken her two children for the last time on their school run” prior to the attack.
“She wasn’t to know that when she parted company with them that morning,” he added.
The court heard the Jones believed he was being defrauded by Ms Evans and his son.
“There is clear evidence, that in the days leading up to this, that you had begun harbouring thoughts that Sophie Evans and your own son were in fact financially scamming you,” he said.
“What precisely brought about that view is difficult to determine.”
Judge Walters said Jones “lost [his] temper when [he] didn’t get the answer that [he] thought [he] deserved”.
He added that, having lost his temper, the defendant “subjected [Ms Evans] to gross violence over a period of time, before you ultimately extinguished her life by strangulation”.
The court was told in evidence that at the time of the attack, Ms Evans was wearing only a bath towel.
‘The rock of our family’
In a victim personal statement, Ms Evans’s sister Kerry Quinlan told the court she was “the rock of our family”.
She said Ms Evans was taken from them in a “senseless and cruel act”.
“Words cannot express fully how much of a loss this has been to her children,” she added.
“When they cry themselves to sleep wanting their mum, she isn’t there and never will be.”
Ms Quinlan added that Jones had “taken everything from us, all in the most despicable way possible”.
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Ms Evans’s partner at the time, and the defendant’s son, Jamie Davies, said in a victim personal statement, read on his behalf, that they had both “trusted” Jones, and that Ms Evans had even been planning the defendant’s 50th birthday.
“The thought of having to live my life without Sophie causes me extreme pain and heartache,” he added.
Prosecuting, Michael Jones KC said the offence was aggravated by the defendant’s previous convictions and the fact Ms Evans was murdered in her home.
In mitigation, David Elias KC said there was a “lack of premeditation”.
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