Suspended Police officers (199A/24)
Request
- The number of police officers that are currently suspended from duties
- The ranks of the suspended officers (e.g. Police Constable, Sergeant, Inspector etc.)
- The length of time each officer has been suspended as of the date you respond to this request
- The reasons for suspension in each case (in broad categories such as gross misconduct, criminal investigation etc.) without naming individual officers
Response
Please find enclosed our response.
The number of police officers that are currently suspended from duties
50 officers are currently suspended from duty.
The ranks of the suspended officers (e.g. Police Constable, Sergeant, Inspector etc.)
1 x Detective Sergeant
1 x Inspector
38 x Police Constable
7 x Police Sergeant
1 x Special Constable
2 x Any rank of Chief Inspector and above
The length of time each officer has been suspended as of the date you respond to this request
Section 40 (2) Personal information exempts this information linked together with the rank of the officer as it may identify an individual.
Section 40(2) is an absolute and class-based exemption if to release the information exists would breach the third party’s data protection rights. In this case to release this personal information would not constitute fair processing of the data. As this exemption is class based I am not required to identify the harm in disclosure and in this instance, I believe that the right to privacy outweighs any public interest in release
However, in order to assist please see the presented information in a more generic way:
| Number of months suspended | Number of officers |
| 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 5 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 5 |
| 13 | 1 |
| 18 | 1 |
| 21 | 1 |
| 33 | 1 |
The reasons for suspension in each case (in broad categories such as gross misconduct, criminal investigation etc.) without naming individual officers
All officers are suspended pending a GROSS MISCONDUCT investigation.
We want our officers to uphold the highest of standards so the public has the utmost confidence in them.
Misconduct is simply unacceptable but when it is done by a police officer – who holds a position of power and someone the public should trust – it must be rooted out and eliminated.
We must do everything we can to maintain public confidence and trust in policing.
This will provide reassurance to the public that we mean it when we say we’ll do all we can to preserve and rebuild trust.
As recommended as good practice by the Information Commissioner’s Office a version of this response may be published on the West Midlands Police website.
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