Almost two dozen police officers have faced dismissal from Northumbria Police over the past five years, new figures show.

Data from the Home Office shows 20 officers have been dismissed from the force since April 2017 – including five in the year to March.

The figures refer to officers who were made redundant, have been made to resign, or have had their contracts terminated – including any asked to leave the force due to misconduct.

Though dismissals are not always due to misconduct, the conduct of police officers has come under greater scrutiny in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, who will never be freed from prison after losing an appeal against his whole life sentence last week.

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Data from the College of Policing, a professional body, shows nationally 257 officers were placed on the 'barred list' in the year to March 2021 – the latest figures – including four in Northumbria.

The National Police Chiefs Council, a staff body for police leaders, said a "tiny minority" of police officers undermine public trust and confidence in policing.

A spokesperson said: “Where officers don’t meet the expected standards of behaviour they will be dealt with directly, and this could result in them losing their jobs or in the most serious cases, a criminal conviction.

"Everyone in policing needs to contribute to an inclusive, professional, and ethical culture.

“As a result of shining a light, more misconduct will be discovered, more officers will be sanctioned, leave the service or even be charged and convicted of crimes.”

Police forces are also grappling with increased resignations, the Home Office figures show.

The number of officers leaving the force has reached an all-time high across England and Wales, fuelled in part by a surge in voluntary resignations.

In the year to March 3,653 officers resigned, a significant increase on the 2,154 the year before, and including 61 in Northumbria.

But despite this, there has been a net increase in the number of police officers nationally, with new recruits being hired as part of the Government's pledge of 20,000 new officers by 2023.