Under current procedures, there is no obligation for police forces to suspend officers or staff being investigated for allegations of violence against women and girls.
The charity’s interim chief executive, Abigail Ampofo, said it was “deeply shocking” that “it is not currently mandatory for police officers and staff to be suspended, pending investigation”.
“In any other profession, suspension would be the norm, as would frequent vetting, so what makes policing any different?” she added.
“As an institution who are supposed to protect the public from harm, the police should be held to the highest of standards and any allegations of abuse against officers should be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
She called on the government to implement reforms across all police forces to help restore women’s trust in policing.
