FIVE allegations of sexual assault and misconduct were made against Sussex Police officers last year – but only one was investigated.

Figures obtained by The Argus from the Independent Office for Police Conduct show two complaints of sexual assault were made against the force in 2020/21.

A further two sexual harassment complaints were made and one other sexual conduct complaint.

Of the five complaints, only one of the other sexual conduct complaint was investigated, the figures show.

Sussex Police said protecting vulnerable people is a priority for the force.

“We take any report of allegedly inappropriate behaviour by our officers or staff extremely seriously and always act when our employees are found to have fallen below the standards we and the public expect,” a spokesman said.

“However, the information provided by the IOPC needs to be considered together with some extra information. As they accept, their data relates solely to allegations.

“All allegations against police, of whatever kind, are looked into but there are cases in which the evidence readily available, or the allegations themselves, show there is no indication of misconduct so there is no requirement for formal full investigation.

“Enquiries will still have been made and a response provided to the person making the allegation.

“Four of the cases were responded to in that way, but the fifth was subject to a formal investigation by our Professional Standards Department and it was found that the officer involved had no case to answer.”

Across the UK, less than one in three complaints of sexual misconduct against police officers were investigated last year.

More than 100 complaints of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other sexual conduct were made against officers nationwide.

Of the 109 complaints received in 2020/21, 31 were investigated.

Out of all the allegations made to the IOPC, none led to criminal proceedings.

Two officers accused of sexual assault, a crime under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment, were subject to “individual learning”, while another was told to “learn from reflection”.

Here is a breakdown all the other police forces that received sexual misconduct complaints against officers:

Avon and Somerset Police

• Sexual assault – four (one investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

British Transport Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Cambridgeshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Cheshire Police

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Cumbria Police

• Sexual assault – one (one investigated)

Derbyshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Devon and Cornwall Police

• Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)

Dorset Police

• Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

Essex Police

• Sexual assault – four (one investigated)

Gloucestershire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Greater Manchester Police

• Sexual assault – 12 (three investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – two (zero investigated)

Hampshire Police

• Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Hertfordshire Police

• Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

• Sexual harassment – two (one investigated)

Humberside Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Kent Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

Lancashire Police

• Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – two (two investigated)

Leicestershire Police

• Sexual assault – three (one investigated)

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

Metropolitan Police

• Sexual assault – ten (six investigated)

• Sexual harassment – two (one investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – four (three investigated)

North Wales Police

• Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

Northamptonshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Northumbria Police

• Sexual assault – five (zero investigated)

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – three (two investigated)

Nottinghamshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

South Wales Police

• Other sexual conduct – three (one investigated)

South Yorkshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Staffordshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Suffolk Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

Surrey Police

• Sexual assault – two (one investigated)

Thames Valley Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – one (one investigated)

West Mercia Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

West Midlands Police

• Sexual assault – two (zero investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – one (zero investigated)

West Yorkshire Police

• Sexual assault – five (one investigated)

• Sexual harassment – one (zero investigated)

• Other sexual conduct – three (one investigated)

Wiltshire Police

• Sexual assault – one (zero investigated)

The figures present different data from previous annual complaints reports due to the changes in legislation and changes to the complaint categories.

As a result, these figures are ‘experimental statistics’ as defined by the Office for National Statistics, which describes them as a ‘series of statistics that are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed’.