Police Scotland has 25 officers suspended over sexual misconduct allegations

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police Scotland currently has 25 police officers suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct, the Sunday Mail can reveal.Three complaints of rape and 18 of sexual assault by serving officers and police staff have also been made in just six months of last year.A third set, a snapshot of figures for last July, showed that 132 police officers were facing criminal allegations at the time of which 45 had been suspended from duty.The revelations which have been branded “deeply shocking” by women’s groups come after the conviction of Metropolitian Police firearms officer David Carrick.Carrick, who admitted 49 sexual offences including 24 rapes across two decades, prompted renewed scrutiny of the vetting practices by police forces across the UK amid claims of sexism and misogyny.Police Scotland confirmed the number suspended after a Freedom on Information request and separate figures, also obtained under FOI, revealed the rape and sexual assualt complaints between April and September last year.Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: “It’s deeply worrying that officers in Scotland are also under investigation for sexual violence.“We need to see robust action from all police forces to work to rebuild this crucial trust.”“Recent reports of the sexual violence committed over decades by a serving Met Police officer were really shocking.“Questions about how this perpetrator was allowed to continue to assault and abuse women for years after allegations were first made must be answered.“Cases like this, and other recent cases of racist and misogynistic conduct within the police force, make it harder for survivors to trust the police and come forward to report their experiences.”Scottish Labour justice