Trump warns Putin has to ‘settle this war’ as it’s ‘not making Russia look good’

Donald Trump has warned Russia that the war must end because it’s not making the country look good.

The US president said: “I had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but he just doesn’t want to end that war, and I think it’s making them look very bad.

“He could end it… he could end it quickly.”

Almost 60 people have been injured in a Russian strike on a hospital in Kharkiv as Kyiv called for access to long-range missiles.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he would discuss the possibility of receiving Tomahawk missiles from the US during a meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday.

Mr Zelensky said the main focus of his visit was air defence and long-range capabilities aimed at exerting pressure on Russia for the sake of peace”.

Mr Trump has warned Russian president Mr Putin he may supply Ukraine with the US-produced missiles if the Russian leader does not end the war.

Tomahawks have a range of 2,500km (1,550 miles) and could strike anywhere in European Russia.

England have qualified for the World Cup but need to fix these issues to win it

So, England become the first European side to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but the real wonder is whether that actually says anything more about their capability of finishing first next summer.

Thomas Tuchel of course acknowledged that this was the expectation, but said it shouldn’t be completely taken for granted that it is a landmark achievement, even if this 5-0 in front of some trees in Riga wasn’t exactly Stockholm 1989 or Rome 1997. No bloodied bandages were required, as were seen with Terry Butcher and Paul Ince in those games.

It instead couldn’t have been easier, as this thrashing of Latvia made it six wins from six with 18 goals and none conceded. Almost perfect.

And that is something that has been more of an interest for Tuchel, as he has wanted England to qualify in a fashion befitting the expectations of them. So, after a relatively slow start, the German’s side have started to pick up some real speed – particularly in attack. There’s a growing coherence to the frontline, with the selected players complementing each other well. Morgan Rogers’s deftness is ideal for the runs of Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, with a world-class scorer like Harry Kane looking like the best tactical fit in an England team for some time.

Gordon and the captain duly scored fine goals of different qualities, with Kane claiming his 77th and 78th for the country.

Through all of that, there was a genuine symbolism and significance to England qualifying so early. When you cast an eye over the international game right now – and particularly this break’s results – they are arguably one of just seven sides who currently look capable of winning this World Cup.

England are arguably fourth or fifth in a list headed by Spain, Argentina, France, maybe Portugal, and then possibly Netherlands and Brazil.

It isn’t currently that intimidating. The field is certainly nothing like 1998 or 2002, when so many of the major nations had absolutely stacked squads.

An irony of course is that the newly stacked calendar ensured many of those squads didn’t get to show that quality in an upset-laden 2002, and there may well be some echoes in this absurdly bloated 48-team tournament.

England won’t be able to press in the way they’ve done in recent games in the heat of North America next summer, and that is one of a few issues that Tuchel is trying to wrestle with right now.

Despite the perfect record, after all, it’s very far from true that England are a perfect team. Tuchel still has a lot to work out, not least the very psychological block that comes with being the major nation with the longest ongoing wait for an international trophy.

Other than that, though, many of those same major nations would love to have Tuchel’s issues right now – not least Italy and his own German team.

He is said to still be thinking about left-back, although Myles Lewis-Skelly seems to make that clearer with every performance. The only doubts are maybe over the teenager’s relative inexperience as regards tournament football, and his lack of game-time for Arsenal.

Tuchel is also weighing up who plays in front of him at left-wing. He clearly wants real pace running off Kane, and it was conspicuous that Gordon marked his good performance with a goal in the same moment that the manager talks up Marcus Rashford potentially having a higher ceiling.

England do have so many options in those positions around Kane, which stands in contrast to central defence and central midfield.

So many of these games have ultimately been about England trying to work out how to “control” games when they don’t have a Martin Zubimendi.

That does indirectly raise another issue. In order to win these matches and seal qualification, Tuchel has had to figure out how to beat low blocks, which won’t be the decisive challenge when it comes to sealing actual silverware.

There’s still such an unknown there, until he gets to prepare for a proper tournament knockout against top opposition. All he can do right now is try to give himself options and put as many pieces as possible in place.

Which of course brings us to the main issue for Tuchel, even if he would absolutely deny there is anything to talk about. That is the ongoing exclusion of Jude Bellingham, held up as his finest match-winner.

Tuchel obviously won’t say it – and the exclusion of Phil Foden gives him a certain “cover” – but it’s hard not to see this as “political”, as the manager expressly showing the player that there are certain squad and tactical standards everyone has to conform to if they want in.

If that actually is the case, then this might well be the kind of management England need. Tuchel may have apologised for using the word “repulsive” about Bellingham’s behaviour in June, but he didn’t apologise for an arguably more telling comment around the same time. That is that the Real Madrid forward can “intimidate” teammates.

It is similarly notable that many have spoken about the good atmosphere in the camp of late.

None of this should be taken as an argument to leave a player as good as Bellingham out of the World Cup, but if a manager feels there is an issue to address it is of course much better to do it now rather than in the middle of a tournament.

Sure, it might create a bit of a media storm, but, again, that’s better now than next June.

And if it results in Bellingham absolutely maximising his qualities, as Tuchel managed with Neymar in 2020, then it will have been well worth it.

It certainly strengthens Tuchel’s case that creators like Rogers and final goalscorer Eberechi Eze put in displays like this.

There was one other off-pitch issue that this match threw up, and that Tuchel had created himself, arguably unnecessarily. There is a potential schism with some fans.

Tuchel complained about the atmosphere at Wembley, which was a little surprising when it was another flat home win of little consequence.

The travelling support sitting through driving rain in an unprotected stand naturally had a point to make about this. Immediately after the match started, they chanted “Thomas Tuchel, we’ll sing when we want”, “are we loud enough for you?”, and the ironic “our support is f**king s**t”, before a more playful “Thomas Tuchel give us a wave”.

By the end, he was obliging. All happy again, not least with the result.

No one will care what he says if all this ends with the actual World Cup itself in July. This qualification campaign has proven Tuchel has made progress in terms of that ambition.

England are there, and already look like one of the best sides too.

Tommy Robinson trial delayed because he is going to Israel

Tommy Robinson claims that Elon Musk is paying his legal fees, as the far-right activist faces a three-week wait for the verdict of his trial because he is due to visit Israel.

The 42-year-old, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, denies failing to comply with counterterrorism powers at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone on 28 July last year, specifically by refusing to disclose his phone’s PIN.

If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three months.

Robinson, who thanked X-owner Musk for covering his legal costs, will travel to Israel on Wednesday until 25 October, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The prosecution and defence cases finished on Tuesday, but District Judge Sam Goozee has not yet made a decision on whether the activist is guilty or not guilty.

As the judge tried to set a date to hand down his verdict, Alisdair Williamson KC, defending, said Robinson would be out of the country for some time.

“He is a guest of the Israeli government in Israel tomorrow,” he told the court.

Judge Goozee told Robinson he would “accommodate” his “current travel arrangements” and adjourned his decision until 4 November.

Posting on X (Twitter) after the hearing ended, Robinson said: “Now that my trial is behind me, I will have my verdict handed down on November 4th in London.

“I’m leaving soon for a trip to Israel — a proud patriot coming tomorrow to stand with the Jewish state and deepen my understanding of the fight against jihad.”

Robinson, last month, organised a Unite the Kingdom rally in central London attended by between 110,000 and 150,000 people.

The invitation to Robinson was extended in the wake of the terror attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester.

Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for the diaspora and combating antisemitism, said he was “proud to host British patriot” Robinson.

UK must be ready for ‘unprecedented’ weather, climate experts warn

The UK must be prepared for “unprecedented” extreme weather conditions as worst-case scenarios for global warming cannot be ruled out, climate advisers have warned.

Events like heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding – which the UK has already started to see with increasing frequency – will only become more regular and intense, the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) said.

The group has urged the government to ensure the country is prepared for at least 2C of global warming by 2050, which is 0.5C higher than the long-term 1.5C temperature goal of the international climate treaty, the Paris Agreement.

Ministers must set out stronger objectives and targets for protecting health, homes, food security, infrastructure and key public services “at a minimum” in the face of this challenge, the CCC wrote in a letter to the government.

It warned that global warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels will lead to more frequent, powerful and increasingly unprecedented extremes of weather hitting the UK.

The chances of a heatwave occurring each year will double, while the time spent under drought conditions across England is also expected to double.

Sea levels will rise, peak rainfall across the UK is expected to increase by up to 10 to 15 per cent on the wettest days, and peak river flows will increase by up to 40 per cent for some catchments, raising the risk of flooding.

The risk of wildfires will also rise, with increases in days with conditions highly favourable for blazes to break out, while wildfire season will extend into the autumn, the experts warned.

While the committee notes that it continues to believe that the 1.5C target is possible, it added “prudent risk management needs to consider a wider range of possible worse outcomes”.

Faster rates of global warming between the present day and 2050 could cause the 2C threshold to be breached by mid-century, the experts find, while temperature rises of 4C by the end of the century also cannot be ruled out.

The UK has seen its hottest summer on record this year, with much of the country in drought and one of the worst harvests on record.

The period was immediately preceded by 18 months of record-wet weather, and before that temperatures topped 40C in the UK for the first time in 2022, causing a spike in heat deaths and destructive wildfires.

The CCC said new homes, electricity networks and other infrastructure that is expected to last for decades must be built with the potential to be adapted to cope with temperatures of as much as 4C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

It has called for a framework of clear long-term objectives for adapting the UK to climate change by 2050, driven forward with targets every five years, and for government departments to be clearly accountable for delivering them.

Baroness Brown, chair of the adaptation committee for the CCC, said: “People in the UK are already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, and we owe it to them to prepare, and also to help them prepare.

“We need to see the government treating adaptation with the same urgency that we have been able to treat cutting emissions. Both are absolutely essential and must go hand in hand.”

Dr Douglas Parr, Greenpeace UK chief scientist, said: “Alarm bells should be ringing in government that doubled chances of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires will make life in the UK look very different, very quickly; impacting how safe we are in our homes, what food we eat, how we get around – and UK households, businesses and emergency services are already struggling with worsening weather shocks.”

Once you see what’s wrong with Trump’s summit photo, you can’t unsee it

The Gaza conflict has had a particular impact on women and girls. But a visitor to the planet observing the recent Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit would never know. When Egypt released the list of global leaders and officials attending the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh – more than 25 nations and international bodies in total – the only woman on the list was Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

As the smallest person in attendance, you might have thought she’d have been ushered to the front. But no. She was left to bob about at the back completely invisible – and ignored, until president Donald Trump went out of his way to acknowledge her presence at the final press conference – by calling her “beautiful”. This is not the attention to detail that women need in peace talks.

There is an immediate problem with the absence of women leaders on the world stage, and it matters for the lives of women and girls in the region, and, I would argue, for the wider chances of sustainable peace. The World Bank has reported that women in positions of leadership can reduce the likelihood of violent conflict as well as the prospects for peaceful resolution of existing conflicts, while the European parliament has stressed the important contribution women make to bringing different perspectives on what peace and security mean.

Despite it being 2025, maybe we shouldn’t have been too surprised at this all-but-one male lineup. More than 100 countries have still never had a female head of state. Women leaders, we know, face countless barriers, from media stereotyping them as less capable than men, to reduced financial support, to sexual violence and online death threats, which might all count towards barriers to success.

But this matters. For starters, preventing and responding to sexual violence is vital to resolving conflicts, enabling development and building sustainable peace. This statement was at the heart of a UK government summit back in 2014 and also a report by Wilton Park – the UK government’s organisation for international policy dialogue – that highlights the importance of including women and girls in any survivor-centred peace process.

Reports of strategic violence against Palestinian and Israeli women have been a dreadful drumbeat throughout the conflict. During the attacks on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023, Hamas used sexual violence “as part of a deliberate genocidal strategy”, according to the Dinah Project, a group of female Israeli legal and gender experts, and a UN mission later concluded there was convincing information to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the attack in multiple locations.

According to a report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, direct attacks by Israel on healthcare facilities offering sexual and reproductive healthcare services have impacted about 540,000 women and girls of reproductive age in Gaza.

There is no specific reference to a survivor-centred process in the Gaza peace plan. But perhaps this is no surprise when the planning room is dominated by men. What about other references to building back lives? Women and girls have paid the highest price of the conflict, according to the UN, who say that in just one year, Gaza accounted for seven in 10 women killed in conflict globally.

Back in November 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that two-thirds of the then 11,000 people killed in Gaza were women and children. UN agencies also reported severe disruptions in maternal, newborn, and child health services due to bombardments and infrastructure damage. The United Nations special rapporteur on Violence Against Women described the situation as an assault on Palestinian women’s dignity and rights. UN Women Palestine has pointed out that women living in Gaza have unique and urgent needs and vulnerabilities relating both to the conflict and structural gender discrimination.

The peace plan unveiled by Trump et al promises that a panel of experts will draft an economic development plan to “rebuild and energise Gaza”. Analysis of the plan by US nonpartisan think tank the Council on Foreign Relations also highlights talk about a special economic zone with preferred tariff and access rates and cites “thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas” to “create jobs, opportunity, and hope” for Gaza.

But the devil will always be in the detail and without it, it is unclear to what extent the men in the group photograph discussed what that means for the thousands of women and girls of Palestine, who have been living in overcrowded shelters with no privacy, limited access to food and water and no access to safe and dignified toilet and bathing facilities.

There doesn’t seem to be anything under the “opportunity and hope” headline for women and girls who need menstrual hygiene, sexual and reproductive health and social support. Nor does the reference to jobs appear to incorporate how women access jobs under laws in Palestine that assume women to be under the protection and guardianship of men.

The final point in the peace plan is for the United States to “establish a dialogue” between Israel and the Palestinian territories to agree on a political horizon “for peaceful and prosperous coexistence”.

Perhaps by establishing a dialogue with women, this latest proposal might stand a chance. Until then, we will have to trust the men to know what women want – and need. But details, details, details…

From galleries to cuisine, delve into enriching Norwegian experiences

Culture lovers will feel right at home in Norway. Whether you want to delve into its ancient Viking history, learn more about Norwegian traditions, or just explore the countless museums and galleries, there is something for all curious culture seekers. From the colourful fishing villages of Lofoten to the Indigenous Sámi traditions in the north, Norway’s got it all.

The best way to learn about the Norwegian way of life is to go on a Hurtigruten cruise alongside their local Expedition Team, who know Norway better than anyone. Between them, they have many years of knowledge and are on hand to help you delve deep into Norway’s compelling culture. They also provide unique experiences beyond typical tourist spots, with specialised team members hosting lectures and leading optional, guided hikes and activities.

Choose from an Original Voyage or a Signature Voyage, both offering the chance to wholly experience Norwegian history and culture. The former follows the original Coastal Express route founded by Hurtigruten over 130 years ago, traversing up to 34 diverse ports, with opportunities to hop off and explore charming towns, fascinating sites and local experiences, and enjoy delicious Norwegian dishes as you sail, with regional ingredients sourced along the way.

While on premium Signature Voyages, you can enjoy a journey around up to 14 handpicked destinations. Between lengthy on-shore visits, you can enjoy all-inclusive options at the onboard restaurants serving fine Norwegian cuisine amid exquisite surroundings. Every meal tells a story of Norway’s bountiful coastline, from fresh Arctic char and cod to cloudberries and reindeer meat.Read on to discover cultural must-sees and dos you can experience en route…

Start your cultural exploration in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city and the starting point for the iconic Coastal Express route, founded in 1893 and one many describe as the world’s most beautiful voyage. This old city goes back to the year 1070 and is brimming with cultural hotspots, like the UNESCO-listed wharves of the colourful Bryggen district. If you have time before you depart, grab lunch from the famous fish market before swinging by the KODE art museum, where you can see works from iconic Norwegian artists like Edvard Munch. You could also hop on the Fløibanen funicular to Mount Fløyen for epic views of the city and surrounding fjords.

Further along the route, you’ll visit the Trøndelag region, Norway’s third-largest city, dotted with historic buildings like Nidaros Cathedral, nicknamed Norway’s Notre Dame. It’s considered the most sacred building in all of Norway and sits side by side with the Archbishop’s Palace, home to Norway’s crown jewels belonging to the monarchy, dating back more than a thousand years.

The Lofoten Islands are a highlight on the Coastal Express route. This stunning archipelago is known for its towering peaks, fishing villages, and thriving art scene. Visit local galleries scattered around the region, each housing a curated collection that tells a story inspired by the soaring Lofoten peaks and the Arctic waters. Magic Ice Lofoten in Svolvær celebrates ice art and coastal culture, while The Glass Hut Vikten is on the outskirts of the island Flakstadøya and is all about rustic works of art made from glass, inspired by the rugged nature of Norway. And if you want to explore the landscapes behind this, there are also plenty of hiking trails leading to breathtaking viewpoints or the chance to kayak among the waterways.

Some routes also stop at Mehamn, where you can go on an excursion among the Sámi, Europe’s northernmost indigenous people. Sámi history and culture are deeply connected to Arctic nature, which has played a pivotal role in their traditional nomadic way of life. They’re known for their reindeer herding, traditional crafts, and unbreakable bond with nature. You’ll get to spend some time alongside a Sámi family and learn about their traditions, reindeer culture, and traditional crafts, known as duodji.

You’ll also have ample time to explore Tromsø on Hurtigruten’s North Cape Line on one of their premium, all-inclusive Signature Voyages. It’s the gateway to the Arctic and home to the Polar Museum, where you can learn all about exploration in the region. The Northern Norway Art Museum here celebrates Norwegian and international art, including contemporary Northern and Sámi art and crafts. You’ll have plenty of time here, so enjoy a meal at Bardus in Tromsø for authentic Norwegian dishes, like reindeer steak with lingonberries, or try Fiskekompaniet for locally sourced fish and shellfish, all prepared in a traditional Norwegian way.

Whether feasting on fish in Tromsø or gallivanting around the museums of Lofoten, Hurtigruten Cruises provide the perfect way to get to know the history, heritage and culture of Norway alongside those who know it best.

Book your Norwegian adventure for less, with up to 30% off, plus 10% off excursions on selected Coastal Express and North Cape Line voyages. For offers, routes and excursion info, visit Hurtigruten.

Record bitcoin sum seized in UK-US crackdown on romance scam centres

Authorities have seized $15bn (£11.3bn) worth of bitcoin and a string of luxury London properties in a joint UK-US crackdown on criminal masterminds behind romance scam centres in south-east Asia.

The bitcoin confiscated by US investigators is the largest seizure in the history of the Department of Justice.

A multi-million mansion and office block in the City of London are among 19 UK properties also being seized as the two governments issue sanctions on a gang that runs such scam centres on an industrial scale.

The network operates by luring people into fake romantic relationships online before tricking victims out of their savings.

But the people conducting the scams are often trafficked foreign nationals, forced to carry out online fraud under threat of torture.

According to the City of London Police, romance scams cost the UK at least £92m in the 2023-2024 financial year, with some estimates putting the total loss at over £100m.

Last year, there were more than 8,000 reports of romance scams in the UK, with thousands more believed to have gone unreported.

Scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar and across the region use fake job adverts to attract foreigners to disused casinos or purpose-built compounds, where they are forced to carry out online fraud under threat of torture.

Scams often involve building online relationships to convince people targeted to put increasingly large sums of money into fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes. The proceeds are then laundered using a sophisticated financial ecosystem that includes seemingly legitimate front businesses and online gambling platforms.

The individuals and groups accused of being involved and targeted with the sanctions include the Prince Holding Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Cambodia, and its chairman and founder, Chen Zhi.

The US Justice Department said it was charging Chen, also known as “Vincent”, with wire-fraud conspiracy and money-laundering conspiracy for directing forced-labour scam compounds across Cambodia.

Officials said they were also seizing 127,271 bitcoin – the proceeds of fraud and the largest forfeiture in the history of the Department of Justice.

In the UK, a £12m mansion in Avenue Road in north London, owned by Chen’s multi-national network, has been frozen, the Foreign Office said.

Chen and his web of enablers have incorporated their businesses in the British Virgin Islands and invested in the London property market, including the mansion, a £100m office building in Fenchurch Street in the City of London, and 17 flats in New Oxford Street and Nine Elms in south London.

The sanctions will freeze these businesses and properties immediately, locking Chen and his network out of the UK’s financial system, according to Foreign Office officials.

The Prince Group is a high-profile, multi-billion-pound conglomerate with extensive business activities across Cambodia and beyond. Chen and the Prince Group, who have built casinos and compounds used as scam centres, maintain links to their operations through corporate proxies, and are implicated in laundering the proceeds, it is claimed.

The Jin Bei Group, a leisure and entertainment business linked to the Prince Group, whose properties include a flagship seven-storey hotel and casino in the Cambodian tourist hub of Sihanoukville, as well as several scam centres, has also been hit by sanctions.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The masterminds behind these horrific scam centres are ruining the lives of vulnerable people and buying up London homes to store their money.

“Together with our US allies, we are taking decisive action to combat the growing transnational threat posed by this network – upholding human rights, protecting British nationals and keeping dirty money off our streets.”

Detective Superintendent Gary Miles, from the City of London Police, in charge of investigating scams, has previously warned: “Romance fraudsters rely on the kindness and compassionate nature within us all, where highly manipulative and coercive techniques are used to exploit this for their own gain. Romance fraud can result in people having their hard-earned savings wiped out, in tens of thousands of pounds in debt and also, in some extreme cases, having to remortgage their homes.”

The new sanctions are being coordinated with sanctions by the US to ensure maximum impact, and follow extensive investigations by the Foreign Office and the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Fraud minister Lord Hanson said: “Fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable by stealing life savings, ruining trust and devastating lives. We will not tolerate this.

“These sanctions prove our determination to stop those who profit from this activity, hold offenders accountable, and keep dirty money out of the UK. Through our new, expanded fraud strategy and the upcoming global fraud summit, we will go even further to disrupt corrupt networks and protect the public from shameless criminals.”

US attorney-general Pamela Bondi said: “Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud.”

The Independent has attempted to contact Mr Chen and the Prince Group for comment.

Two rogue cops sacked every day as officers barred from policing soar

Two rogue police officers were sacked every day in the last year as the number of constables barred from police work soared to a record high.

A total of 735 officers – the equivalent of two a day – were dismissed from forces in England and Wales in the year to March 2025.

It is the most officers added to the College of Policing’s barred list – which bans officers from ever returning to police work – since the list began in 2017 and up 24 per cent on the previous year, when 594 were sacked.

It comes after Britain’s biggest police force the Metropolitan Police found itself embroiled in a fresh racism and misogyny scandal after officers at Charing Cross police station were filmed calling for immigrants to be shot and bragging about using force against detainees.

Ten officers are being fast tracked for misconduct hearings after the damning undercover footage raised questions about culture and standards at the force.

The College of Policing said the latest barred list figures, which cover the 43 forces in England and Wales, show a “determined and robust effort” to stamp out wrongdoing.

The Met had the highest number of dismissals this year, with 183 sacked out of a workforce of 33,293, followed by Greater Manchester Police, with 43 officers out of 8,112 staff.

The most common reason for dismissal was dishonesty, which was a factor in 126 cases, while 95 cases involved discrimination and 82 were linked to unlawfully accessing or sharing information. Multiple reasons can apply to any one case.

A total of 72 officers who were sacked were accused of sexual offences or misconduct, with a further 31 cases involving officers who abused their position for a sexual purpose. Some 21 officers were sacked with child sexual offences listed as one or more of the reasons for their dismissal.

A total of 45 cases involved being a discriminatory Whatsapp group, while 26 were linked to domestic abuse or harassment.

The majority of the officers added to the list were constables (640), but one chief officer and two chief superintendents were also among those kicked out.

The figures also show that 280 members of police staff and 31 specials were put on the list, rising from 233 and 29 respectively.

Since its introduction in December 2017, a total of 2,834 police officers, 223 special constables and 1,268 members of police staff have been added to the barred list.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said: “These figures show a determined and robust effort from police forces to rid policing of officers whose behaviour falls below the high standards that we, and the public, expect from them.

“It goes without saying that any time an officer’s behaviour breaches professional standards, or even strays into criminality, it leaves a permanent stain on the reputation of policing.

“But the public can have confidence that their police forces are quickly identifying and dealing with unacceptable behaviour from officers and staff, who, through being on the barred list, will never work in policing again.

“The message is clear: our policing system is built on upholding our code of ethics, on courage, respect and empathy and public service, and there is no place in our police service for anyone whose behaviour goes against these values.”