Review sexual offence allegations against serving officers
By September 2024, the National Police Chiefs' Council, in collaboration with all force vetting units, and building on the results of the recent data-washing exercise, should conduct a review of the circumstances of all allegations of indecent exposure and other sexual offences recorded on the Police National Database and the Police National Computer against serving officers. This is to identify, investigate and ultimately remove those officers found to have committed sexual offences from all police forces.
- The recommendation set a deadline of September 2024 for completion.
- The government provided £500,000 to policing to develop a continuous integrity screening system, building on the NPCC's national data-wash exercise (Angiolini Inquiry Part 1, Home Office, 29 February 2024).
- The Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 report, published 2 December 2025, noted that the Historic Data Wash had identified 461 individuals referred to the appropriate authority, and that a Continuous Integrity Screening tool was due to launch in 2026 (Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 First Report, December 2025).
- No published confirmation of the Continuous Integrity Screening tool being operational has been identified as of March 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedHome Secretary James Cleverly said: "The act of pure evil committed against Sarah shocked the nation to its core. My heart goes out to Sarah's family and to all the brave victims who came forward to help inform this report and drive change. The man who committed these crimes is not a reflection on the majority of dedicated police officers working day in, day out to help people. But Sarah was failed in more ways than one by the people who were meant to keep her safe, and it laid bare wider issues in policing and society that need to be urgently fixed. In the 3 years since, a root and stem clean-up of the policing workforce has been underway and we have made huge strides – as well as making tackling violence against women and girls a national policing priority to be treated on par with terrorism. But we will continue to do everything in our power to protect women and girls. I am grateful to Lady Elish for her meticulous investigation. Her insights will be invaluable as we move forward in supporting our police to build forces of the highest standards of integrity and regain the trust of the British public."
NPCC Chair, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: "The Angiolini Inquiry made for shocking and sombre reading, a view which I know is shared across policing. We must ensure there is nowhere to hide in policing for wrongdoers, that we lead a police service which the public, and especially women and girls, can trust to protect them and that we are uncompromising on the high standards our communities deserve. We have reviewed the findings and recommendations in detail and accept them all. We have a number of ongoing national improvement plans and we are assessing how these will be updated and added to in light of the Inquiry findings. Along with my colleagues and fellow police leaders we recognise this as an urgent call for action and we are committed to bringing lasting, impactful change for future generations."
Progress Timeline
Inquiry assessment: Historic Data Wash identified 461 individuals referred to appropriate authority. Continuous Integrity Screening tool launching 2026.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Historic Data Wash identified 461 individuals referred to appropriate authority. Continuous Integrity Screening tool launching 2026.
View detailed findings
Data Wash checked over 307,000 officers, staff and volunteers. 461 individuals referred: 9 triggered criminal investigation, 88 disciplinary investigation, 139 vetting clearance, 128 management intervention. New screening tool in pilot, due to launch phased in 2026.