Racial misconduct
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/26/4785
Version Date: 10/08/2026
The Professional Standards Department has provided the following information:
Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025:
1. The total number of allegations, complaints, or misconduct reports alleging racism, racial discrimination, racial harassment, or racially discriminatory behaviour made against police officers and/or police staff.
122 allegations.
2. For each allegation or complaint, please provide:
* The year in which the allegation was made.
* The ethnicity of the complainant, where recorded.
* The ethnicity of the officer or member of police staff who was the subject of the allegation, where recorded.
* Whether the allegation was upheld, not upheld, withdrawn, discontinued, or remains under investigation.
3. If individual-level information would exceed cost limits or engage exemptions, please provide the information in aggregated form showing:
* The number of allegations by ethnicity of complainant.
* The number of allegations by ethnicity of the officer or staff member complained about.
* The number of upheld allegations by ethnicity of complainant and alleged perpetrator, where recorded.
|
Complainant Ethnic Appearance by number of allegations |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Asian or Asian British |
|
3 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Black, Black British, Caribbean or African |
3 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups |
|
1 |
|
3 |
3 |
2 |
|
Not Stated |
|
3 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
|
Other Ethnic Groups |
|
1 |
|
4 |
2 |
|
|
Unknown |
7 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
13 |
|
White |
3 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
|
Total |
13 |
27 |
14 |
23 |
23 |
22 |
|
Subject Ethnic Appearance by number of allegations |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Asian or Asian British |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups |
|
3 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
Not Stated |
4 |
8 |
6 |
11 |
4 |
4 |
|
Unknown |
1 |
2 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
White |
8 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
17 |
15 |
|
Total |
13 |
27 |
14 |
23 |
23 |
22 |
|
Allegation Result by number of allegations |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Case to Answer |
|
2 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
De Recorded |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
No Case to Answer |
|
|
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
|
No further action required |
2 |
|
2 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Not determined if the service acceptable |
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Not Recorded |
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
|
|
Not Resolved - NFA |
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Resolved |
|
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
The service provided was acceptable |
9 |
16 |
6 |
14 |
9 |
10 |
|
The service provided was not acceptable |
|
7 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Total |
13 |
27 |
14 |
23 |
23 |
22 |
4. Please provide any guidance, policy documents, or recording standards used by the force when categorising allegations of racism or racial discrimination.
Information to answer question 4 is exempt under Section 21 (Information Reasonable Accessible by Other Means).
Please see following links to the Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) guidance that Dorset Police uses when recording allegations relating to race discrimination:
Statutory guidance on the police complaints system
Guidance on capturing data about police complaints | Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
discrimination-toolkit-resources-and-links-july-2024.pdf