Bad Apples

Reporter Cara McGoogan investigates shocking claims of bullying, sexual harassment and violence within the ranks of the police towards female officers. When the revelations about toxic behaviour at Charing Cross Police Station emerged, including WhatsApp messages boasting of graphic sexual violence against female police, officers up and down the country would have been deleting their messaging history. So says an ex-officer who has spoken to Cara McGoogan: “There’ll be a lot of people worried about the information they’ve shared.” But the behaviour goes much deeper than WhatsApp messages. Female officers tell Cara they have been bullied, harassed, emotionally abused and sexually assaulted - all at the hands of their colleagues. They paint a picture of a broken system - victims are punished, perpetrators promoted. As Cara’s investigation deepens, more and more women approach her from inside the police, Some, having won sex discrimination complaints, feel free to speak openly. Others feel intimidated, too fearful of reprisals and revenge. Disloyalty is often punished, “career suicide” says an anonymous speaker. Others say the police operate like a gang, protecting their own and pushing out women who ‘grass’. Sue Fish, former chief constable at Nottinghamshire Police, strongly disputes the defence of a few ‘bad apples’. So are the police guilty of institutional misogyny - and a cover-up? Presenter: Cara McGoogan Produced by Sarah Peters Executive Producer: Iain Chambers A Tuning Fork and Open Audio production for BBC Radio 4