Nearly 1,500 accusations of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, exploitation of crime victims and child abuse, have been made against police officers in England and Wales over six years, the Observer can reveal.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that 1,491 complaints were filed against police officers, special constables and police community support officers (PCSOs) across 33 forces in England and Wales between 2012 and 2017, or 2018 in the case of the Metropolitan Police in London, which took a year to respond to the FOI request by the Observer.

Of these cases, 371 were upheld, resulting in the sacking or resignation of 197 officers, special constables and PCSOs. Ten police forces did not provide data.

Derrick Campbell, regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, told the Observer in a statement: “Police personnel who abuse their position for sexual purpose have no place in policing, and we are aware from our own research that this is one of the top areas of police conduct that concerns the general public.

“We are working hard to ensure police forces refer all allegations of abuse of position for sexual purpose to us, and we will continue to provide guidance and knowledge to help identify this abuse of trust as early as possible.”

The “upheld” cases are those where the investigating force has decided based on the evidence that there is a case to answer. It does not automatically mean that the accusation has been proved in its entirety – but only a handful of such cases end without disciplinary action or the accused resigning from the force.

The largest force, the Met, accounts for 594 complaints, of which 119 were upheld, leading to 63 dismissals, retirements and resignations. Greater Manchester Police received 97 complaints, of which 16 were upheld, triggering seven departures from the force. Devon and Cornwall Police upheld 26 of 77 complaints, with 14 defendants leaving the force as a result.

Many police forces have been forced to take action against officers accused of abusing their power to develop sexual relationships with vulnerable people and victims of crime. The Observer has identified such cases at Greater Manchester, Gwent, West Mercia, Durham, and Devon and Cornwall forces, as well as the Met.

An officer in Durham resigned after being accused of abusing his position when attending incidents to try to develop intimate relationships with vulnerable members of the public, while a Devon and Cornwall officer was dismissed following accusations he attended a victim’s address, stripped off uninvited, and joined the victim in the shower.

A Met officer was dismissed after a rape victim complained that the appointed investigating officer in her case “took advantage of her vulnerability and had sex with her on two occasions and sexual contact on others, while still the officer in the case”. Another Met officer was dismissed following allegations of a sexual relationship with a resident of a women’s refuge.

Special constables resigned in both Northumbria and Greater Manchester over allegations of child abuse, while a Greater Manchester officer was dismissed over an “alleged physical relationship with a young person”.

In the Met, 27 officers, special constables and PCSOs had cases upheld against them relating to allegations of downloading indecent images of children, online grooming, and rape of under-16s. All resigned, retired or were dismissed.

The figures also show evidence of a sexist culture among some officers, with numerous complaints by colleagues of sexual harassment and sexual assault. One Met officer resigned after being accused of sexually assaulting two female colleagues at a work-related function. The description of another case affecting the Met states: “It is alleged that the officer stated to a colleague he has had a cast made of his penis and that multiple dildos have been made from the cast. He is alleged to have asked the officer if she would like one herself.” The accused officer quit the force.

Another Met officer was dismissed after putting his tongue in the ear of two females on the civilian police staff. A survey published last year of nearly 1,800 Unison members working as civilian police staff found that 12% had witnessed or been the subject of unwelcome touching, kissing or hugging.

A Unison spokesman said: “Employees who witness or experience this behaviour need reassurance they will be listened to, and believed, and effective action will be taken to end the harassment.”

The Observer’s data covers two kinds of complaints procedure – public complaints and internal conduct matters. Internal conduct matters are those raised by members of the police against their colleagues.

Internal conduct matters relating to forms of sexual misconduct are much likelier to be upheld than public complaints. Of 663 public complaints relating to sexual misconduct, only 62 were upheld. By contrast, 310 of the 829 internal conduct matters were upheld – nearly 40%.

This may be because police complainants understand the process and required evidence better than public complainants, as well as the chance of vexatious or malicious public complaints being filed – although officials insist all complaints are investigated thoroughly.

However, once upheld, public complaints are likelier than internal conduct matters to result in the departure of the accused police officer – be it through dismissal, resignation or retirement. Two-thirds of upheld public complaints resulted in the officer’s departure, compared with half of upheld internal conduct matters.

Rule changes in December 2017 mean that officers can now be found guilty of misconduct even if they resign or retire first, ensuring they can be added to the official Barred List to prevent their re-employment by the police.

A National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) spokesman said: “When police officers or staff abuse their position for a sexual purpose, such behaviour represents a fundamental betrayal of the public and our code of ethics Sexual harassment in the workplace is similarly corrosive.”

In 2017 all police forces signed up to a plan to clamp down on police officers and staff abusing their power for sexual purposes, and this year the NPCC will release a plan focused on sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Met said: “Sexual misconduct and abuse of authority for sexual purpose will not be tolerated in the Metropolitan Police service, and its prevention and reduction are priorities for us. Expectations, advice and guidance have been, and continue to be, publicised within the service and victims are encouraged to come forward.”