Convictions of serving police officers revealed

The figure was released by the force last week, and a break-down shows the officers have convictions for a range of illegal activities, including dangerous driving, criminal damage and speeding.

Of the 21, seven have been convicted of speeding and seven of driving without due care and attention.

There have been two convictions of driving with excess alcohol, two for criminal damage and one for dangerous driving.

There was also one convicted of careless driving and one of a public order offence.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Since 2008, Sussex Police has had a centralised, dedicated vetting unit in place which carefully reviewed existing members of staff with convictions.

“All applicants to Sussex Police, since this unit came into being, have been subject to scrutiny before being accepted.

“As a result, Sussex Police is fully aware of the criminal convictions against any of its police officers and police staff.

“Each case has been taken on its own merits to ensure that employment will not result in any negative impact on the community.

“Sussex Police is confident that any convictions against one of its staff will not compromise that person’s ability to do their job to the highest ethical standards.”

Of the officers with convictions, four of them had them before they joined the police. They were those with charges for criminal damage (two), excess alcohol and a public order offence.

Since January 1, 2008, the force revealed three officers have resigned either before or after they were convicted of money laundering, violence against a person and causing death by dangerous driving. There have been no dismissals since that date.