Record 757 officers barred from policing in England and Wales during year to March 2026

A record 757 police officers were added to England and Wales’s barred list in the year to March 2026, preventing them from serving again. The figures reflect efforts to address misconduct and protect public trust, including cases that did not involve offences serious enough to result in prison.

Dishonesty was the most common reason, with 142 officers sacked, followed by discriminatory behaviour (110) and unlawful access to or disclosure of information (101). The total includes 87 officers dismissed over sexual offences or misconduct, including five for rape, and is up from the previous record of 735; 24 cases involved links to discriminatory WhatsApp groups. More than 3,500 officers have been barred since the list began in 2017, while the Metropolitan Police had the highest number this year, at 195.