Nearly 4 in 5 Avon and Somerset sex misconduct cases led to sackings

By Laura Linham 26th Apr 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 26th Apr 2026

Nearly four in five Avon and Somerset Police officers who faced disciplinary proceedings for alleged sexual misconduct over the past five years were dismissed, newly released Freedom of Information data shows.

The force said 23 officers faced internal disciplinary proceedings between 2021 and 2025. Of those, 18 were dismissed, 16 were suspended and seven were placed on restricted duties.

That means just over 78 per cent of those officers lost their jobs.

The figures cover finalised cases involving allegations recorded as sexual assault, sexual harassment, other sexual conduct and abuse of position for a sexual purpose.

Avon and Somerset Police said decisions on dismissal, suspension or restriction were linked to the case as a whole and may not have been based solely on those allegations.

The highest number of disciplinary cases was recorded in 2021, when eight officers faced proceedings. There were seven cases in 2022 and another seven in 2023, before the figure fell to one in 2024 and none in 2025.

A separate FOI response shows 22 officers were dismissed for sexual misconduct between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years.

The yearly breakdown was four in 2020/21, nine in 2021/22, seven in 2022/23, two in 2023/24 and none in 2024/25.

That means the peak financial year for dismissals was 2021/22, when nine officers were sacked.

Recent misconduct hearings also show cases continuing into 2026. In April, former Bristol-based officer Michael Elmer was barred from policing after admitting offences including making and distributing indecent images of children, while former PC Steven Faulkner was also barred after a panel found he had abused his position and behaved improperly towards a woman. In both cases, panels found they would have been dismissed had they not already resigned.

Detective Superintendent Larisa Hunt, head of Professional Standards, said: "Avon and Somerset Police are committed to bringing the perpetrators of sexual crimes to justice and keeping victims and survivors safe. We are working with academics, partners and survivors to identify how we can improve our investigations and outcomes and better deter and disrupt perpetrators.

"Behaviour like this has no place in policing and we're determined to root it out. Our goal is for people to have the confidence to come to us when they need our help."