Over 1,200 domestic abuse claims against police in England and Wales

Two women targeted by serving officers have spoken out as a BBC investigation reveals more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations against police in three years.

Women preyed on by serving officers as police abuse figures laid bare

Two women who were targeted by serving police officers have waived their right to anonymity to speak about their experiences, as part of a BBC investigation that found more than 1,200 domestic abuse allegations made against police officers and special constables across England and Wales in just three years.

Bbc.co.uk uncovered 1,280 cases investigated by professional standards departments in the period up to January, following Freedom of Information requests sent to 45 forces — just over half of which responded. The allegations included rape, sexual assault, coercive and controlling behaviour, stalking, grievous bodily harm and non-fatal strangulation. Most concluded cases resulted in no further action.

Catherine Dobson: 'He abused the badge'

Catherine Dobson, from Rawtenstall in Lancashire, first met Michael Harvey — a detective working in a sexual offences unit — by chance in a supermarket. He asked her out for a drink.

"The only reason I trusted him was because he told me he was a detective in the police," she said. "This was a man who was paid to look after the most vulnerable in society — women and children who'd been abused — so that made me feel safe."

What Catherine did not know was that Harvey had already accessed police computer systems to obtain her home address and phone number before they began a relationship.

Suspicions surfaced early. Harvey refused to introduce her to his children and would not allow her to post pictures of them together online. When she discovered he had been texting other women, he told her they were victims of sexual offences he was investigating. Catherine said she had no reason to disbelieve him.

"At the time I backed off — who am I to stop a victim of a crime like that from being supported by the officer?"

When she tried to end the relationship, the psychological abuse escalated. Harvey told her he had been abused as a child and later made unfounded claims about being tested for cancer. He threatened to take his own life on several occasions if she left, including once during a phone call while she was at work.

"I called the police immediately, then I drove back to the house and I was in bits," she said. "I honestly thought I'd open the door and find him dead. The police were there and they were just about to bash the door in when he calmly opened it wrapped in a towel and said, 'What's the problem officer? I've just been in the shower'. I felt like this hysterical mess who'd made the whole thing up."

Over years of emotional blackmail, Harvey also faked an anaphylactic shock and threatened to jump from a moving car. Catherine eventually left him, but waited another six years before filing a police report.

"Who is going to believe me over a detective on the sex offenders' unit?" she said.

Harvey was arrested in 2023 and jailed earlier this year, sentenced to two and a half years after admitting coercive and controlling behaviour and the unauthorised use of police computers. He was cleared of three counts of rape. Lancashire Constabulary described his conduct as "abhorrent" and said it had "no place in policing". The force said it remained committed to protecting women and girls.

The BBC understands a separate woman had complained to Lancashire Constabulary about Harvey before he met Catherine, but was told he had not committed an offence. The force declined to comment on that matter, citing an ongoing complaints process.

Catherine said of her abuser: "He used his job, he used his power and he abused the badge. Whatever his motives were, I will never understand."

Naomi Meadows: raped by a detective in Devon

Devon and Cornwall PC Stuart Mines was convicted last year of rape after meeting Naomi Meadows on a dating website. The pair agreed to meet in person, and after a dog walk together, Mines assaulted her.

Naomi told the BBC: "You kind of have a childlike trust because they're the police — they're honest, trustworthy."

Wider picture: most cases dropped

The data obtained by the BBC reveals a pattern in which professional standards investigations were opened into serious allegations, but the majority were discontinued, subjected to no further action, or dropped owing to a lack of evidence or victims withdrawing their complaints.

In the North West, 96% of concluded cases resulted in no further action. Nearly half of all 1,280 cases disclosed to the BBC were recorded by the Metropolitan Police alone, with dozens of its officers accused of rape or other sexual offences.

Former Merseyside Police constable Ryan Theaker was among the few convicted of a criminal offence. He was jailed earlier this month for 11 years after a court heard that his victim had told him to "get off me" more than 300 times during an 82-minute assault in a Liverpool hotel room.

Calls for systemic change

Campaigners say more must be done to tackle police-perpetrated abuse, despite repeated warnings about failures to identify and remove dangerous officers since serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens murdered Sarah Everard in London in 2021.

Both Catherine and Naomi chose to speak publicly in the hope that their accounts would prompt broader action. Professional standards processes, campaigners argue, are falling short of what is needed to protect the public from officers who exploit their position of trust.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)