Dozens of officers have faced dismissal from Essex Police over the past five years, new figures show.

Home Office data shows 30 officers have been dismissed from the force since April 2017 – including eight in the year to March.

The figures refer to officers who were made redundant, have been made to resign, or have had their contracts terminated – including any asked to leave the force due to misconduct.

Across England and Wales 192 officers were sacked in 2021-22 up from 179 the year before.

Though dismissals are not always due to misconduct, the conduct of police officers has come under greater scrutiny in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, who lost an appeal against his whole life sentence last week.

Data from professional body the College of Policing shows nationally 257 officers were placed on the 'barred list' in the year to March 2021 – the latest figures – including seven in Essex.

This means they can no longer serve in the police, having been found to have committed gross misconduct.

The number of officers added to the list is higher than the number of dismissals, as many instead choose to resign or retire – 118 did so nationally in 2021.

The National Police Chiefs Council said a "tiny minority" of police officers undermine public trust and confidence in policing.

Police forces are also grappling with increased resignations, Home Office figures show.

The number of officers leaving has reached an all-time high across England and Wales, fuelled in part by a surge in voluntary resignations.

In the year to March, 3,653 officers resigned, an increase on the 2,154 the year before, including 84 in Essex.

Despite this, there has been a net increase in the number of officers nationally, with recruits being hired as part of the Government's pledge of 20,000 new officers by 2023.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The public put their trust in the police and expect them to carry out their duties to the highest professional standards.

“Dedicated and decent police officers are the majority, but the minority who fall short of the standards expected of them must be dealt with robustly and fairly.”