MORE than a dozen Lancashire police officers subjected to misconduct proceedings left the force before their case was heard, new figures show.

Fourteen officers were added to the Disapproved Register by Lancashire Constabulary in the first two years it was available, according to the College of Policing. Of the 14, six were dismissed and eight resigned before their case was heard, it is claimed.

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Rachel Baines, Lancashire Police Federation branch chairman, said the regulations have changed so now officers who resign or retire will still face misconduct hearings. The figures released are for a period of two years before the regulations changed.

She said: “The change in legislation means they can no longer resign or retire. This is a really small number of police officers. There are 3,000 officers across Lancashire. The majority do not fall below the standards of professional behaviour. This is a really small minority.”

The figures show across forces in England and Wales there were 833 officers added to the Disapproved Register, which aims to provide greater transparency to the outcomes of misconduct cases by allowing forces to add details of officers who have left the service while subject to a gross-misconduct hearing.

This is aimed at preventing them from re-entering the service after being dismissed, resigning or retiring while subject to investigation.

Of the 369 who left in the year between December, 2014 and November, 2015, 202 were dismissed, 147 resigned and 20 retired. In the 12 months from December, 2013, 215 were dismissed, 219 resigned and 30 retired.

College of Policing standards manager Det Supt Ray Marley said: “This is clear evidence that they are confronting unacceptable behaviour and using formal misconduct mechanisms to hold their colleagues to account.

“The police have more than six million interactions a year with the public and confidence is rising. This is reflected by the Office for National Statistics which showed the proportion of adults who feel local police are doing a good or excellent job in 2013-14 was 63 per cent, compared to a positive rating 10 years previously of 47 per cent.”