Parliamentary police officer purged every six months

These days, the reputation of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) Unit is at a low ebb, following the scandals over its former members David Carrick and Wayne Couzens. A review of the wider force found it was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, with the PaDP singled out for particular condemnation. In March of this year, Politico reported that the unit’s officers had received 439 complaints in 2020, 2021 and 2022, including a total of 264 by members of the public.

Now, Mr S has done his own digging and it transpires that every six months an officer on the parliamentary unit is being removed from duty due to allegations of criminal activity. According to a Freedom of Information request by The Spectator, ten officers were removed from their post and either suspended or given restricted duties following criminal allegations between March 2021 and April 2023. Four of these officers were either dismissed or would have been dismissed, had they not resigned due to a misconduct hearing – the equivalent of one every six months.