The Metropolitan Police was accused last night of shielding officers against accusations of rape after it emerged that dozens of complaints had not resulted in a single conviction over the past five years.
The figures, obtained by The Times, also show that since 2000 only 1 per cent of all public complaints of rape and sexual assault against Met staff were upheld by an internal police investigation.
Even then, a quarter of those who faced a disciplinary board were allowed to resign before any hearing and with police pension intact.
The disclosures are a big embarrassment to the Government, which is struggling to improve public confidence in how the police deal with rape and sexual assault victims. They are also a personal failing for Sir Ian Blair, the departing Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who came to the force as an expert on improving police performance on rape.
The figures were released under the Freedom of Information Act, but only after a five-month delay.
Last week it emerged that two women police constables, Julie Facey and Paula Church, are suing the Met for £1 million each over sexual assault and harassment allegations involving three male officers over two years...read more
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5484446.ece
The figures, obtained by The Times, also show that since 2000 only 1 per cent of all public complaints of rape and sexual assault against Met staff were upheld by an internal police investigation.
Even then, a quarter of those who faced a disciplinary board were allowed to resign before any hearing and with police pension intact.
The disclosures are a big embarrassment to the Government, which is struggling to improve public confidence in how the police deal with rape and sexual assault victims. They are also a personal failing for Sir Ian Blair, the departing Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who came to the force as an expert on improving police performance on rape.
The figures were released under the Freedom of Information Act, but only after a five-month delay.
Last week it emerged that two women police constables, Julie Facey and Paula Church, are suing the Met for £1 million each over sexual assault and harassment allegations involving three male officers over two years...read more
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5484446.ece
