A record 757 police officers in England and Wales were barred from the service in 2025/26, according to the College of Policing. In Merseyside, 21 officers were banned during the same period.
National figures reach all-time high
The College of Policing reported that 757 officers were banned after being sacked for breaching professional standards in the year leading up to the end of March 2026. This is the highest number in a single year since the barred list was introduced at the end of 2017.
In 2024/25, 735 officers were banned from serving, and in 2023/24, 594 were banned. The total number of officers added to the barred list since its introduction on December 15 2017 stands at 3,591.
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.
"757 officers have been removed and barred from ever serving again, including those who retired or resigned while under investigation.
"This represents 0.5% of all serving officers, with the vast majority of officers serving with courage, professionalism and integrity.
"We all deserve a service that roots out those who fall short. Where standards are breached, we will find out and we will act.
"Since the barred list was introduced in December 2017, 3,591 regular officers have been added in total, with the pace of dismissals accelerating markedly: 757 officers were barred last year alone, more than in any single year since the list began and over twice the annual average of the preceding four years."
Merseyside and regional trends
In Merseyside, 21 officers were banned in 2025/26, a slight decrease from 27 in 2024/25 and 22 in 2023/24. Neighbouring Cheshire Constabulary saw 11 officers banned in 2025/26, up from five the year before. Lancashire Police also banned 11 officers in 2025/26, down from 16 in 2024/25.
Greater Manchester Police saw 46 officers banned in 2025/26, an increase from 43 the previous year. The forces with the highest number of officers added were the Metropolitan Police with 195, Greater Manchester Police with 46, and West Midlands Police with 38.
Reasons for bans and demographics
The report set out the reasons for dismissals, with multiple reasons cited in some cases. Dishonesty was cited in 142 cases, discriminatory behaviour in 110, and unlawful access or disclosure of information in 101. There were 87 cases involving sexual offences or misconduct, including six instances of child sexual abuse and five of rape, with abuse of position for a sexual purpose in 46 cases.
By rank, 641 of those barred were police constables, 84 sergeants, 18 inspectors, five chief inspectors, five superintendents and four chief superintendents. Of those added, 334 were serving officers, 397 had resigned and 26 had retired.
The number of officers added to the list has increased year on year since 2021/22, when 299 were added, with 394 added in 2022/23. In total, 25 police specials were placed on the barred list in the year to the end of March 2026, down from 31 the previous year, and 348 police staff, up from 280 in 2024/25.
In the year to the end of March 2026, 111 officers and specials added to the list came from a black or other minority ethnic background out of 782 cases where ethnicity was recorded, and 54 out of 348 police staff. Among those added, 671 officers and specials were white, along with 294 staff. Government workforce data showed that 8.7% of officers were from minority ethnic groups in the year to March 31 2026.
By gender, 124 officers and specials were female, 656 male and two preferred to self-describe, while 148 police staff were female and 199 were male, with one preferring to self-describe.
