New figures showing that 16 Metropolitan police officers have been disciplined for falsifying records come amid accusations from Andrew Mitchell that parts of the ‘Plebgate’ log were faked by police.

Police officers are being allowed to keep their jobs despite faking official records, new figures reveal. Sixteen Met police officers have been found to be falsifying police records, but in only two cases were officers removed from their jobs.

Seven of the officers were found to have falsified statements or crime reports but only two were dismissed without notice, with the others given written warnings. In one case no action whatsoever was taken by the Metropolitan Police for the false reports.

Five other officers submitted false duties records and four were handed written warnings for falsifying expenses.

The new figures, released under the freedom of information act, come amidst a row between Andrew Mitchell and the Metropolitan police over the log of an incident in September of last year where it was alleged Mr Mitchell called police officers “f****** plebs.”

Mr Mitchell, the former Conservative chief whip, argues Pc Toby Rowland, who wrote a police log saying Mr Mitchell had uttered the offending statement when he was stopped from riding his bicycle out of the main gates was lying. Mr Mitchell subsequently lost his job after the incident was leaked to a national newspaper.

Mr Mitchell alleges that Pc Rowland falsified the record of the incident by adding the “toxic statements” resulting in the loss of his job at the top of government after a 25 year career.

However last week the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges against Pc Rowland. They say there was “insufficient evidence” to suggest that Pc Rowland was lying about the incident. The officer will not face internal police disciplinary action.

Clare George-Hilley, director of the think tank Parliament Street said that the figures raise “further worrying questions about the Plebgate affair” for the police force.

She said: “These findings raise further worrying questions about the Plebgate affair, and the allegation that Andrew Mitchell was the victim of a stitch up. It is vital that the Police ensure rigorous and robust policies are in place to ensure incidents of falsification are met with the harshest penalties.”

Separate figures, also released under the Freedom of Information Act, have shown that over 100 Metropolitan police officers have been found guilty of computer and IT misuse at misconduct and gross misconduct cases in the last five years.

18 officers were dismissed following the outcomes of their hearings and 21 officers resigned, some before the hearings had concluded. The remaining 62 remained in their jobs and received written notices or a “formal reprimand.”

The offences include misuse of the Police Crime Database, a case management system for logging and recording all crimes and misuse of the Police National Computer which stores millions of personal records, driver records and vehicle records of British citizens.

Read the full story at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10486755/Police-officers-keep-their-jobs-despite-faking-official-records.html