LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Nearly 600 police officers in England and Wales were sacked in the year to March 2024, figures showed Tuesday, as police chiefs battle to restore public confidence after a string of scandals.

The sackings — a 50 percent rise on the 394 dismissed the previous year — include 74 officers kicked out of policing for sexual offences and misconduct.

Another 18 officers were dismissed for possessing indecent images of children, according to the figures compiled by the College of Policing, an independent public body.

The reputation of policing in the UK has been left in tatters since the 2021 kidnap, rape and murder of marketing executive Sarah Everard by a serving officer in London’s Metropolitan Police who was later jailed for the rest of his life.

In another shocking case, an officer from the same unit last year received 36 life sentences for a “monstrous” string of 71 sexual offences, including rapes against 12 women.

The most common reason for dismissal, with 125 cases, was dishonesty, according to the latest figures. Another 71 were forced out for discriminatory behaviour.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding of the College of Policing said it was “hugely disappointing to see the conduct of a number of officers falling far below the standard that we set… and which the public rightly expects”.

But he said the number being sacked was also an indication of the “effective, robust procedures in place to identify and deal with these officers swiftly”.

“Their behaviour tarnishes policing and erodes public trust,” he added.

In January 2023, the Met revealed that 1,071 officers in the 34,000-strong force had been under investigation for domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.

England and Wales has a police workforce of more than 147,000 across the 43 forces.