Abuse of power: Sexual abuse by police officers
We specialise in claims against the police and have experience of successfully recovering compensation for victims of sexual abuse by police officers. To find out where you stand give our free legal helpline a call on 0333 888 0445 or email [email protected]
Abuse involves the exploitation of an individual, who is often vulnerable in some way, by a person who holds a position of power or authority. This position of power or authority could be due to age, job role, or their position in society. When there are incidents of abuse, we are told to report them to the police in order for justice to be served. However, what is a vulnerable victim expected to do when the person who has abused their position of trust is a serving police officer themselves?
Following the publication of a report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, it is clear this is exactly the case for hundreds of people in England and Wales. The report mentions 436 allegations of abuse of power for sexual gain within a two-year period. More than a third of these allegations of abuse of authority involve victims of domestic abuse. It has been reported that there is only one police force in the country which has not received any allegations of this nature within the period examined.
While the sheer volume of reports of abuse of power for sexual gain is shocking, the reality is that there will be many vulnerable people who have not felt able to report or disclose being a victim of sexual abuse by police officers. Therefore, the numbers are likely to be significantly higher in reality.
This is extremely damaging to the faith the public has in the police. It is important that these issues are tackled in a determined and timely manner. Our police hold a special position of trust and authority and therefore have a greater responsibility to behave in a certain way. These figures hugely undermine this. We must remember that the statistics do not reflect the behaviour of every police officer and those who have suffered a crime should still be encouraged to make a formal report. The punishment of officers found to be behaving in this manner should set an example that such individuals will not be tolerated within our justice system.
As well as specialising in abuse law, we also have a team that deal with legal actions against the police. They have developed their own website dealing with this area of law which you can access by following this link. We are therefore able to combine the specialist knowledge of both teams when dealing with cases involving sexual abuse by police officers.
If you have been the victim of sexual abuse by a police officer, please contact our specialist abuse team on 0333 888 0445 in complete confidence. We have successfully obtained compensation from the police force following inappropriate sexual behaviour by serving police officers. Alternatively, you can contact us by email at [email protected]