20/09/2012

IPCC Call For Code Of Conduct On Police Sexual Attacks

More than 50 cases of polices officers and staff allegedly taking sexual advantage of members of the public have been found by the police watchdog.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said there was no evidence assaults were commonplace but it did not know if all cases were reported.

It called on forces in England and Wales to create a code of conduct to prevent abuses of trust.

The IPCC report followed an officer being jailed for life for sex attacks.

Stephen Mitchell, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault in 2010, targeted vulnerable women he met while on duty in Newcastle upon Tyne, such as drug addicts and petty criminals.

He offered to help them while they were in the city centre's police station, but then sexually assaulted them.

The IPCC's report, which was produced with the co-operation of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said that while the Mitchell case was unusual because it was so serious, there were other instances of officers abusing their position by sexually exploiting vulnerable people.

The watchdog said that between April 2009 and March 2011, there had been 54 cases of corrupt behaviour by officers which it considered to be examples of sexual exploitation or assault.

The report stressed: "There are considerable inconsistencies in the referral of corruption cases in general to the IPCC by different forces. It is therefore possible that the true figure is higher."

(H)


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