The employment status of the officers currently under investigation, as detailed in the report Abuse of Position for Sexual Purposes (APSP), has been revealed.
Enquiries were made due to the high number of officers who retire or resign from the PSNI while under investigation, potentially causing victims “triple trauma” – consisting firstly of the trauma of the crime, then the trauma when officers abuse their positions, and again if officers leave while under investigation.
Published by the Police Ombudsman, the report states that 20 serving and two former police officers are currently under investigation, involving a total of 39 victims, all of whom are women.
The gender of the serving officers is not clear; however, both former officers are male.
Of the serving officers, it has been confirmed that seven have been suspended from duty and five have been repositioned, but the PSNI was silent on the status of the remaining eight.
This could mean these eight remain on normal duties or may be on sick leave.
Ombudsman Chief Executive Hugh Hume said: “Police predatory behaviour is one of the most serious forms of corruption in policing. The abuse of their position for sexual gain inflicts significant and long-lasting damage on their victims. Such is the power imbalance that many women do not report the offending directly for fear of reprisal, and others can be so vulnerable that they do not recognise that the officer is abusing them and instead see him as a ‘knight in shining armour’ figure. Others do not see themselves as victims at all.”
However, this may be the tip of the iceberg, as while some have reported concerns, others have not, due to a lack of confidence in the system, including an assumption that the officers in question will be allowed to leave while under investigation, thereby adding to existing trauma.
This type of conduct by any professional is by default predatory, and if officers quit while under investigation there are no safeguards to prevent further behaviour.
While the current figures include two former officers, one resigned some time ago and the other retired while under investigation.
One way to prevent this would be to suspend or limit the duties of officers, which in turn would act as a safeguard against potential further abuses.
When asked to provide the employment status of the 20 officers currently being investigated, the PSNI advised that the Ombudsman would provide the details, who in turn collated the figures and returned them to the PSNI for release.
The sheer scale of gathering the details took a number of days; however, today (Thursday) a spokesperson said: “The PSNI again welcomes the Police Ombudsman’s report on Abuse of Position for Sexual Purposes and the seriousness of the issues it raises.
“Any case currently under investigation is considered on a case-by-case basis and decisions regarding an officer’s duty status are made based on the gravity, context and nature of the allegations. The Police (Conduct) Regulations provide the Service with the ability to reposition or suspend officers where appropriate while investigations are ongoing. In every case, the public interest test and the need to maintain confidence in policing are key considerations.
“The PSNI has been clear that any abuse of position for sexual purposes is wholly unacceptable and represents a serious breach of the trust placed in police officers. Where allegations are made, they will be robustly investigated and we will continue to work closely with the Police Ombudsman to ensure full transparency and accountability.”
The spokesperson continued: “We are, and regularly do, engage with PONI to review the duty status of officers in line with regulations. The overwhelming majority of our officers and staff serve with integrity and dedication, and we remain committed to taking decisive action whenever standards fall short.”
