Police forces around the UK are investigating more than 150 cases of alleged sexual misconduct by officers, an investigation has found.

An inquiry by The Times discovered that forces in England, Wales and Scotland are currently investigating at least 156 allegations that were reported both internally and externally.

More than 400 complaints were found to have been made by members of the public over the course of five years.

Harassment, sexual assault and rape are among the claims, with some of the victims targeted in police stations.

The newspaper discovered that some forces imposed only minor penalties following investigations into serious allegations. Officers were given punishments that meant they continued in their jobs.

The list of investigations is likely not complete, since ten forces rejected or ignored freedom of information requests.

It is claimed the police watchdog The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) received around 195 referrals from forces relating to the abuse of police powers for sexual gain in two and a half years. Eight of its independent investigations are currently active.

Legislation designed to discipline officers for abusing their position is currently being considered.

On Friday, a police officer who sexually abused boys and young men was convicted of 40 offences. A court heard that Allan Richards, formerly of West Midland Police, used a police database to access information about young men. The force has apologised to his victims and said it could have done more.

In response to the number of cases of alleged sexual misconduct by the forces, Detective Superintendent Ray Marley of the College of Policing said the total was low when the total number of UK police officers was considered.

He told The Times: "In terms of prevalence, my impression is that most of the forces have had some sort of investigation into these serious crimes, where there's been abuse of position relating to a vulnerable person."

Theresa May told the Police Federation's annual conference earlier this year that the issue of officers developing "inappropriate" relationships with victims of domestic abuse would be looked into.

Ms May, Home Secretary at the time, said the "right skills, training and commitment to protect the vulnerable are still not held by every single police officer", adding there were instances of "shameful attitudes".

The Law Commission is undertaking a wide-ranging consultation on misconduct in public office – which includes exploiting a position of power for sexual gain – and could result in legal reform.

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Opening the consultation, Professor David Ormerod QC, Law Commissioner for criminal law, said in a statement: “It is vital that the public have confidence in their public officials and in the legal framework that sets the boundaries of their conduct.

“The offence of misconduct in public office is increasingly being used to bring public officials to account but recent high-profile investigations and prosecutions have brought the problems with this offence into sharp focus.