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And urgent action needs to be taken to stamp out a culture of “misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour” towards female colleagues and the public.

Matt Parr, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said it is “too easy for the wrong people to join and stay in the police” after they have been accused of bad behaviour.

And his damning report revealed hundreds if not thousands of bad officers are still serving. Inspectors uncovered shocking cases where would-be PCs with criminal records – including indecent exposure, sexual assault, robbing old ladies and domestic violence – were allowed to join.

A blind eye was turned to evidence of prospective constables’ links to organised crime gangs and evidence that they posed a risk to the public.

Many female officers and staff do not expose predator male colleagues for fear of being ostracised, branded troublemakers and ignored if they need urgent assistance while on duty.

The HMIC report, looking at systems within forces in England and Wales, was commissioned by then Home Secretary Priti Patel after the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard last year by serving Met Police PCWayne Couzens.

The disturbing findings concluded: “A culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour towards female police officers and staff and members of the public still exists and is even prevalent in many forces.”

The concerns reflect a need for tough harassment laws as highlighted by the Daily Express campaign Keep Women Safe On Our Streets.

Mr Parr claimed police chiefs had been handed ample warnings before Sarah’s murder.

But recommendations made between 2014 and 2019 to tighten vetting procedures and improve force culture were not implemented.

He added: “The shoddier your vetting system, the greater the chance of somebody like Couzens joining.”

Mr Parr said police chiefs have been “slow to learn the lessons” of appalling cases of misconduct.

He said: “Behaviour that most would consider completely unacceptable has been normalised in policing. They should represent the good bits of society.”

He continued: “Over the last three or four years, the number of people recruited over whom we would raise significant questions is certainly in the hundreds if not low thousands.”

It found examples of allegations of gross misconduct, normally leading to dismissal, were downgraded to misconduct or just not acted upon.

HMIC has made 43 recommendations to forces including urgent improvements to vetting procedures and the monitoring of prospective officers’ social media use.

Mr Parr went on: “We found poor decision-making in police vetting, inconsistent handling of misconduct cases and a lack of effective monitoring of officers’ IT use.

“It is essential police act now on our recommendations.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “It is no secret that recent high-profile incidents have shattered the public’s trust in policing .

“As part of its commitment to recruit 20,000 additional officers, the Government has provided funding to deliver significant improvements to recruitment processes.”

HMIC inspectors uncovered a series of disturbing cases between October 2018 and September 2021. All the officers are still serving.

One recruit was allowed to join the force despite having a conviction for indecent exposure and a caution for making threats to cause criminal damage.

And another was signed up even though he had once robbed an 80-year-old woman of her handbag after pushing her to the ground.

The HMIC surveyed 11,277 officers and staff interviewed 42 of those who responded. They also examined 725 vetting files plus 264 complaint and misconduct investigations.

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