Dorset Police is being challenged to explain what it is doing to ensure the highest professional standards are maintained.

It comes after recent court appearances for a small number of officers and staff, which Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick admits may have shaken public confidence in the force.

He has formally called on outgoing Chief Constable Scott Chilton to explain what actions are being taken to stamp out police-perpetuated abuse and misconduct and lay out in detail how the force carries out the vetting and re-vetting of officers.

The action involves issuing the Chief Constable Chilton, with what is known as a formal challenge letter, which must be responded to.

"I and the people of Dorset expect Dorset Police to conduct themselves to the highest standard," said Mr Sidwick at a recent Dorset Police and Crime Panel meeting.

He went on to give the briefest details of what he described as "fiddling expenses" and a "substantial theft", which resulted in a jail term, together with recent sexual offence charges against a serving Dorset officer, the offences alleged to have been committed when off duty.

Said Mr Sidwick in a rare statement at the start of a panel meeting: "It's a matter of great sadness that the abhorrent actions of a small number of police officers, alongside the service's handling of such individuals, continues to dent the public's confidence in UK policing.

"We forget the great number of police officers who go through doors every day to keep us safe. We had an instance recently in Dorset, where a PC was involved in a fight: he had his leg stamped on, he's in hospital and needing surgery because of that. We forget the good because we have to focus on the bad."

He raised the recent case of Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, who admitted 49 sexual offences and had continued to work in that force without detection for years.

Mr Sidwick continued: "In Dorset we have had two very different recent cases: firstly the misconduct hearing of a supervisor who had abused his position of trust within the organisation to pursue inappropriate relationships with those who reported directly to him. Had he not resigned he would have been dismissed.

"And, secondly, the recent charging of eight sexual offences by a serving Dorset officer, which is a live case, so I will refrain from commenting on it any further…They all give rise to concerns that the public will, rightly, want reassurance about.

"I have therefore issued the Chief Constable with a formal challenge letter, designed to clearly set out Dorset Police's current position and to outline the work underway to eliminate police-perpetrated abuse and maintain the highest possible professional standards."

The Police and Crime Commissioner said the request covered information on the number of Dorset Police officers and staff who have been investigated for violence against women and girls over the last five years and any areas of concern that might remain; the force's current response to the November 2022 inspection report on vetting misconduct and misogyny in the police service; an overview of the force's vetting and re-vetting process and the outcomes of any failures; an overview of the reflective practice process and outcomes, sometimes given to officers and staff to enable them to reflect and learn from previous poor behaviour; an overview of the force's internal anti-corruption monitoring processes including what steps are being taken, not only to understand the wider organisational culture but also the existence of any subversive sub-cultures of the kind that allows inappropriate behaviour and material to be shared.

Mr Sidwick has also asked the force to explain what protections are in place for those who whistleblow, or raise internal concerns.

"I hope that the level to which I am taking these incidents seriously is self-evident, but I give my absolute assurance to both the panel and the members of the public that I will continue to shine a spotlight on matter such as these and I will continue to seek assurance," he said.

"The operational vision of Dorset Police talks about the relentless pursuit of criminality – well that need to be both in our communities but also within their ranks and I will hold them accountable for doing so."

Chief Constable Chilton is set to be replaced by Met Police officer Amanda Pearson at the start of March, as he takes up a new position in Hampshire.