Police just barred a record number of officers and the figure keeps rising
3 November 2026 · 3 November 2026Share
Armed police officers near Downing Street gates in London. File photo. Stanislav Kozlovskiy · CC BY-SA 4.0
A record number of police officers in England and Wales have just been barred from policing in a single year.
That's the highest number in a single year since the barred list began, back in December 2017.
The College of Policing published the figures today. It runs the barred list, and once an officer is on it, they can never work in policing again.
So how fast is this rising? In 2021-22, 299 officers were added. The year after, 394. Then 594. Then 735 last year. Now the figure is far higher still.
So why were they barred? Dishonesty was the most common reason. Discriminatory behaviour came next. Then unlawful access or disclosure of information. Then sexual offences or misconduct. The rest involved misuse of police powers, policies or procedures.
Some reasons were far more serious. A child sexual offence was a reason for dismissal several times. So was rape. So was stalking.
Most of those barred were police constables. But this wasn't just junior ranks. Senior officers were barred too, including superintendents and chief superintendents. So were sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors.
Special constables were added as well, though fewer than the year before. Police staff, who work for forces but aren't officers, saw a bigger rise on the year before.
And not everyone was still serving when it happened. Some were sacked while still serving. Many had already resigned. A smaller number had already retired.
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Charing Cross Police Station on Agar Street in London. File photo. Paul The Archivist · CC BY-SA 2.0
So which forces had the most? The Metropolitan Police led the list by a wide margin. Greater Manchester Police came next. Then West Midlands Police.
ACC Arman Mathieson is the Director of Operational Standards at the College of Policing. He says the number barred makes up half of one per cent of all serving officers in England and Wales. And he says the vast majority serve with courage, professionalism and integrity.
He says quote "Policing is built on trust, and these figures show we will not hesitate to act".
That's the regulator saying it would rather sack an officer than protect the force's reputation.
So why does this list exist at all? It was set up after a string of police misconduct scandals. The most notable one: Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, convicted in 2021 of kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard while a serving officer. That case led to public demands for a public record, so a sacked officer could never quietly move to another force.
And here's the question nobody has answered. Why is the number still climbing, nearly five years on?
It could mean misconduct is getting worse. It could mean forces are getting better at catching it. Or it could mean the bar for getting sacked has simply dropped.
The College of Policing hasn't said which one it believes. The government hasn't said whether it's planning any response, or whether more reform of police discipline is coming.
But the trend is clear. Five years ago, 299 officers were struck off. This year, the figure has shot past them all. A step that was meant to be rare and serious is now used more than twice as often as when it began.
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