Hundreds of British police officers and other employees of the police force have used their power to sexually abuse vulnerable people, a new report shows, the latest in a string of institutional abuse accusations in the country. The royal Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which independently assesses policing in the UK, revealed the extent of the issue in its latest report on Thursday. The report said the police abuse was an egregious breach of officers’ roles as guardians and protectors. The HMIC’s initial findings showed that at least 436 crime victims had been subjected to sexual abuse by officers. The organization warned that the number could be much higher than that. Of the total of 334 police personnel involved in the abuse cases, 306 were officers; 20 were Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and eight belonged to other ranks of the force. Nearly 40 percent of the charges were brought by victims of domestic violence, which is a prevalent issue a