A damning watchdog report has laid bare the vetting and misogyny failures within the police service.
Hundreds of vetting files for recent recruits at eight police forces were reviewed by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
The report said it uncovered cases where people, including those with criminal records or links to organised crime, were allowed to join the police - and that it was "too easy" for them to do so.
Among these corrupt officers included cops convicted of domestic abuse, robbery and indecent exposure.
The chances of someone like Sarah Everard's murderer Wayne Couzens getting a job as a police officer would have been "clearly reduced" if measures to improve screening checks had been put in place earlier, inspector of constabulary Matt Parr said.
National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt described the conclusions as "very bleak", but said recruitment standards have been undergoing a process of reform since the murder of Ms Everard.
Commissioned in October last year by then-home secretary Priti Patel in the wake of Ms Everard's murder, the findings come after two Met police officers were found guilty of sending grossly offensive misogynistic and racist messages in a WhatsApp group with Couzens.
The conclusions also follow 31-year-old James Ford, of Hertfordshire Police, being jailed for raping a girl aged under 13, and then wiping his phone to conceal the crime he had committed.
And last month, a serving Met Police officer - who was previously accused of a sex attack - was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of groping a female colleague in a police station.
The latest report concluded a culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour towards female police officers, staff and members of the public still existed.
Mr Parr said the culture was prevalent in "all the forces inspected", which he branded a "depressing finding".
From domestic abusers being recruited by police to female officers being "ignored in meetings", here are five major bombshells highlighted in the report.
1. Police recruited cops convicted for indecent exposure, domestic abuse and robbery
The watchdog looked at 11,277 police officers and staff, examined 725 vetting files, considered 264 complaint and misconduct investigations, as well as interviewed 42 people.
According to the report, 131 cases were identified where inspectors described the decisions made as "questionable, at best". In 68 of these, they disagreed with the force's decision to grant vetting clearance.
Inspectors highlighted one case where an applicant for the Special Constabulary was granted vetting clearance after being convicted of indecent exposure when he was a juvenile, and received a 12-month supervision order.
The offence detailed how over a two-week period, the applicant stood at his bedroom window, coughing to attract the same woman's attention before exposing himself. This happened several times.
Another case study referred to an applicant for a police community support officer (PCSO) post, who was given vetting clearance despite receiving an adult caution for a domestic abuse case, where he slapped his partner across the face seven years earlier.
A police officer applicant was also granted clearance after a robbery offence as a juvenile 20 years earlier, where he knocked an 80-year-old woman to the ground and stole her handbag.
The report said: "We found officers and staff with criminal records, or suspicions that they had committed crime [including some serious crime], substantial undischarged debt, or family members linked to organised crime.
"In other cases, officers and staff had given false or incomplete information to the vetting unit. We also found officers who, despite a history of attracting complaints or allegations of misconduct, successfully transferred between police forces. This is wholly unsatisfactory."
2. Policemen 'regularly tell sexist jokes' and 'ignore women in meetings'
After interviewing female officers, the watchdog was told about improper behaviour by male officers and staff.
It said this included sexist jokes regularly being told about women, comments about female colleagues' bodies, women being ignored in meetings, and staring at female colleagues which made them feel uncomfortable.
The report found there needed to be better guidance on conduct in the workplace and definitions on what counted as misogynistic and predatory behaviour.
It added: "Evidence shows that a culture that is fair, diverse, and inclusive can lead to a sense of legitimacy where the workforce feels valued and is ultimately more efficient and effective.
"To this end, the College of Policing has produced training, policies, and guidance to help forces create positive work environments based on equity and respect.
"Despite this, our fieldwork revealed a worrying picture of how some police officers and staff view women."
3. Gross misconduct cases downgraded as senior officers opposed recommendations
On 10 occasions, an investigating officer recommended there was a case for gross misconduct, only for a senior officer to disagree, said the watchdog.
It continued: "These included cases being reduced from ‘gross misconduct’ to ‘misconduct only’, or even ‘no further action’.
"We strongly disagreed with some of these decisions."
Among 43 recommendations made, HMICFRS said standards for assessing and investigating misconduct allegations must improve as well as the quality and consistency of vetting decision-making.
The watchdog also called for changes to the law surrounding police complaints and disciplinary procedures.
4. Male colleague 'consistently stared at senior female officer's breasts in meetings'
A senior officer who was among the group of females interviewed by the watchdog told of the predatory behaviour she had experienced.
The policewoman said that every time she went to a meeting, she held a folder across her chest because a particular male colleague would "stare consistently at her breasts".
HMICFRS said: "Worryingly, some of these attitudes and comments came from supervisory ranks.
"The behaviours and standards that go unchallenged are the behaviours and standards that are accepted.
"It seems to us that if supervisors aren’t challenging blatantly sexist comments – and in some cases, they are the people making the comments – then this type of behaviour becomes normalised."
The report also noted that, during its fieldwork, some female officers didn't want to take part in women-only focus groups.
It added: "We are concerned that a fear of repercussions may have discouraged some women from participating in these groups."
5. Policewomen still face a stigma around pregnancy and part-time working
A group of male police officers told the watchdog they were frustrated by "having to work harder to fill the gaps left by female officers on maternity leave".
One supervisor said: "These are women who get pregnant while they have jobs on front-line duties … this leaves a gap and [in a team of five] creates 20 per cent extra work [for the remaining staff].
"I think because of this the issue will carry on … women tend to go part-time when they have a family, and this leads to prejudice … the perception being the males must work harder to fill the gap."
Many policewomen reported negative comments about working part-time, saying comments such as "you managed to turn up today" were not uncommon.
The report said: "Some female officers also told us they had to work harder than male colleagues to be accepted into some specialist teams."
It concluded: "The type of poor behaviour towards women described above is prevalent in many forces. It is time for that culture to change.
"Much of the behaviour we were told about was outside our terms of reference. But the lid has been lifted and there is a need for further work to be done to make systemic changes."
