Women describe abuse by police officers who 'abused the badge'

BBC investigation finds more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations against officers in three years

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Two women who were preyed upon by serving police officers have described their ordeals as part of a BBC investigation that uncovered more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations against police officers and special constables across England and Wales over three years. The allegations include rape, sexual assault, coercive control, stalking and serious violence, with most cases discontinued or dropped due to lack of evidence or victims withdrawing complaints.

One woman described years of coercive and controlling behaviour by a police officer who was later jailed after admitting the offence.

Another woman described being raped by a police officer who was later convicted and jailed. She said a subsequent professional standards investigation upheld complaints about how the force handled her case. The force acknowledged failings.

The BBC sent Freedom of Information requests to 45 police forces across England and Wales. Just over half responded, disclosing 1,280 cases investigated by professional standards departments in the three years to January. Nearly half of the cases were recorded by the Metropolitan Police. Most concluded cases resulted in no further action, including 96% in the North West.

Former Merseyside PC Ryan Theaker was jailed for 11 years earlier this month for an 82-minute ordeal in a Liverpool hotel room. Campaigners say more needs to be done to tackle police-perpetrated abuse, especially after the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The investigation reveals systemic failures to hold police officers accountable for domestic abuse, undermining public trust in law enforcement.
Victims face unique barriers to reporting because abusers are police officers, who are seen as credible and powerful.
The high rate of cases dropped or discontinued suggests institutional obstacles to justice, leaving perpetrators in positions of authority.

Background

The BBC investigation follows repeated warnings about police misconduct, most notably the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer. The domestic abuse allegations span rape, sexual assault, stalking and non-fatal strangulation. Forces across England and Wales have professional standards departments tasked with investigating such complaints, but campaigners argue that the system fails to identify and remove dangerous officers.

Key Perspectives

Victims (Catherine Dobson and Naomi Meadows): They described trusting officers because of their uniforms and authority. Both felt unable to report promptly due to fear of not being believed. They waived anonymity to highlight the abuse.

Lancashire Constabulary: Called Harvey's behaviour "abhorrent" and said it remains committed to protecting women and girls. It declined to comment on an earlier complaint about Harvey, citing an ongoing complaints process.

Devon and Cornwall Police: Acknowledged failings in Naomi's case, including that Mines continued to be paid after conviction and that she was not informed of his suspension.

Campaigners: Argue that more must be done to address police-perpetrated abuse, pointing to repeated failures even after the Sarah Everard case.

What to Watch

Further FOI disclosures from other forces that did not respond to the BBC.
Outcome of the ongoing complaints process involving Michael Harvey.
Potential legislative or policy changes to improve handling of police domestic abuse cases.

Sources

Women targeted by police who 'abused the badge' · BBC News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe headline says women describe abuse by police officers who “abused the badge”.BBC News: “Catherine said: “He used his job, he used his power and he abused the badge. Whatever his motives were, I will never understand.””
SupportedThe BBC investigation found more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations against officers and special constables in three years.BBC News: “The women waived their right to anonymity to tell their harrowing stories as part of a BBC investigation that uncovered more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations made in three years against police officers and special constables across England and Wales.”
SupportedTwo women were preyed upon by serving police officers and described their ordeals.BBC News: “Two women who were preyed upon by serving police officers they trusted have described their ordeals and why they decided to speak out.”
SupportedThe allegations included rape, sexual assault, coercive control, stalking and serious violence.BBC News: “Professional standards investigations were opened into allegations including rape, sexual assault, grievous bodily harm, stalking and serious violence. … The allegations included rape, sexual assault, coercive control, stalking and non-fatal strangulation.”
Partly supportedMost cases were discontinued or dropped because of a lack of evidence or victims withdrawing complaints.BBC News: “Most cases were discontinued, subjected to no further action or dropped because of a lack of evidence or victims withdrawing their complaints.”
SupportedOne woman described years of coercive and controlling behaviour by an officer who was jailed after admitting the offence.BBC News: “He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years after admitting coercive and controlling behaviour and the unauthorised use of police computers.”
SupportedThe other woman said a police officer raped her and was later convicted and jailed.BBC News: “When she did speak out, Mines was arrested and charged. He was later convicted of rape and jailed for eight years.”
SupportedA professional standards investigation upheld complaints about how the force handled her case, and the force acknowledged failings.BBC News: “A subsequent professional standards department investigation upheld a number of complaints about the way in which Devon and Cornwall Police had handled her case”
SupportedThe BBC sent FOI requests to 45 forces; just over half responded, disclosing 1,280 cases investigated in the three years to January.BBC News: “The BBC sent Freedom of Information requests to 45 police forces across England and Wales, asking for details of domestic abuse allegations involving police officers. Just over half responded, disclosing a total of 1,280 cases investigated by professional standards departments in the three years to January.”
SupportedNearly half of the cases were recorded by the Metropolitan Police.BBC News: “Nearly half of the 1,280 cases in England and Wales disclosed to the BBC were recorded by the largest force, the Metropolitan Police.”
SupportedMost concluded cases resulted in no further action, including 96% in the North West.BBC News: “Most concluded cases resulted in no further action, including 96% in the North West.”
SupportedFormer Merseyside PC Ryan Theaker was jailed for 11 years after an 82-minute ordeal in a Liverpool hotel room.BBC News: “Former Merseyside PC Ryan Theaker was jailed earlier this month for 11 years . A court heard his victim had told him to “get off me” more than 300 times as he subjected her to an 82-minute ordeal in a Liverpool hotel room.”