83 police officers guilty of serious misconduct but only 18 dismissed from duty

DOZENS of PSNI officers have been disciplined for serious misconduct -- including incidents of assault, theft and drug abuse, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.
Yet in most cases the officers were allowed to keep their jobs.
In the last three years, 83 individuals were convicted of offences at internal hearings, with just 18 dismissed from the force.
In another 22 cases officers walked away before facing proceedings.
The figures have been released to this newspaper by the PSNI's Professional Standards Department, which is responsible for discipline within the service.

It has led to warnings that officers who break the law are undermining the credibility of the PSNI.
DUP Policing Board member Jonathan Craig, said: "If a police officer breaks the law, then there is obviously a clear conflict with the job they are doing."
The PSNI released details of misconduct hearings in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in response to a Freedom of Information request.
During that period 96 officers appeared at hearings for a range of offences including theft, possession of drugs, assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Of the 18 who were dismissed during this period, their offences included making fraudulent finance applications, being drunk in charge of a firearm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and committing "acts of dishonesty". The remaining officers were allowed to keep their jobs, but faced sanctions including reduction in rank, a fine or a reprimand.
Mr Craig said that automatic dismissal for officers guilty of misconduct was not always the correct option.
"The punishment has to fit the crime and that will always come down to the judgment of a panel," he added.
Eleven of the officers were found not guilty or had their cases thrown out.
In addition to the 96 who appeared at hearings, another 22 opted to resign from the PSNI rather than face disciplinary hearings and proceedings.
The offences included drink-driving, sex offences, positive drugs tests, harassment and breaches of confidentiality.
Officers may still have faced criminal proceedings after a misconduct hearing or resigning from their job.
Mr Craig said he was confident the issue was being addressed by the PSNI.
"This is an issue the Chief Constable should -- and does -- take very seriously because it undermines the credibility of the force if and when an officer breaks the law," he added.
A spokesman for the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: "The Federation believes that discipline cases should be rigorously and fairly investigated and then dealt with proportionately.
"It is notable that year on year the number of discipline cases is steadily falling," added the Federation's spokesman.
FACTFILE
The Professional Standards Department of the PSNI has responsibility for internal discipline relating to police officers. In 2009, 37 officers faced a misconduct hearing for offences including possession of Class C drugs, theft and internet misuse. Five were required to resign. The next year 32 officers were subject to proceedings. Five were required to resign and two more were dismissed. And in 2011, 27 officers appeared at a hearing. Six were dismissed or required to resign.