Norfolk and Suffolk Police won’t tolerate officers who fall below the standards
More than 730 police officers across England and Wales were sacked and banned from returning to the job last year as part of a national crackdown on misconduct.
Last updated 15th Oct 2025
A new report has revealed more than 730 police officers across England and Wales were sacked and banned from returning to the job last year as part of a national crackdown on misconduct.
The report
New figures from the College of Policing show 735 officers were placed on the barred list in the year to March 31, 2025, up from 593 the previous year, an increase of 24 per cent.
The barred list prevents anyone dismissed for gross misconduct from ever working in policing again.
The most common reasons for dismissal included dishonesty (126 cases), discriminatory behaviour (95), unlawful access or disclosure of information (82), inappropriate communications (81), and sexual offences or misconduct (72).
Other reasons listed included abuse of position for a sexual purpose (31), child sexual offences (21), being part of a discriminatory WhatsApp group (45), domestic abuse or harassment (26), and drug offences (44).
Most of those added to the list were constables (640), though one chief officer and two chief superintendents were also among those dismissed.
The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of dismissals, 183 officers, followed by Greater Manchester Police (43), Thames Valley Police (40), and West Midlands Police (37).
Suffolk and Norfolk
In our region, 17 officers in Suffolk and 30 in Norfolk have been barred from policing since 2020.
In a statement, Norfolk and Suffolk Police said they are “committed to maintaining the highest professional standards” and that “anyone found to have fallen short faces firm action.”
The statement continued:
“The majority of our officers and staff serve with integrity and professionalism every day, protecting our communities and upholding the highest standards of behaviour.
When those standards are not met, we will always take the necessary steps to investigate and, where appropriate, remove individuals from the service. This ensures public confidence in policing is maintained.”
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said:
“These figures show a determined and robust effort from police forces to rid policing of officers whose behaviour falls below the high standards that we, and the public, expect from them.
The public can have confidence that their police forces are quickly identifying and dealing with unacceptable behaviour from officers and staff, who, through being on the barred list, will never work in policing again.”
The barred list was introduced in December 2017, and since then a total of 2,834 police officers, 223 special constables, and 1,268 members of police staff have been added.