Bedfordshire Police 'committed to tackling misconduct' as figures show officer bans fall from 14 to nine

College of Policing figures show nine officers from the force were added to the police barred list in 2025/26, compared with 14 the previous year.

Bedfordshire’s assistant chief constable (ACC) John Murphy said some cases involved historic misconduct, including officers who had already left policing.

He said: "We have the very highest standards and are committed to investigating allegations of misconduct."

ACC Murphy added: “While 2025-2026 saw a year-on-year reduction in the number of officers dismissed and placed on the barred list, we maintain a robust approach to the identification and investigation of misconduct, which includes engagement with our workforce to support our staff actively challenging and reporting poor behaviour when it is seen or experienced."

The barred list prevents former officers who have been dismissed for breaching professional standards, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned or retired, from returning to policing.

ACC Murphy said: “Some cases in this time period relate to historic misconduct matters, including some cases for which officers have left policing, which have been important to work through to a conclusion in order to ensure those former officers are placed on the barred list which prevents them returning to policing or similar professions in the future."

The Bedfordshire figures show the latest reduction followed two years of increases, with 12 officers added in 2023/24 and 14 in 2024/25.

Five officers were added in each of the three preceding financial years, bringing the total to 50 over the six years from 2020/21 to 2025/26.

Press Association data showed that nationally, a “record” 757 officers were added to the barred list in 2025/26, up from 735 the previous year and 594 in 2023/24.

The latest national figure was the highest annual total since the barred list was introduced in December 2017.

The College of Policing said reasons for dismissal nationally included dishonesty, discriminatory behaviour, sexual misconduct and unlawful access to or disclosure of information.

Assistant chief constable Arman Mathieson, director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said: "Policing is built on trust and these figures show we will not hesitate to act when that trust is broken.

"We all deserve a service that roots out those who fall short. Where standards are breached, we will find out and we will act."

Across England and Wales, 3,591 regular officers have been added to the barred list since its introduction.

The published force-by-force figures do not specify the reasons why individual Bedfordshire Police officers were barred.