Former officer breached professional standards of behaviour

A former police officer has had allegations of breaching standards of professional behaviour proven against him.

The officer, known as former officer X, was the subject of a one-day misconduct hearing by a panel led by an independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC) at Sussex Police Headquarters, Lewes, which concluded on Thursday (8 September).

The officer was granted anonymity by the LQC after making legal representations before the hearing. It is the responsibility of the LQC alone to determine whether or not a hearing is partially or wholly held in public or in private and whether any participant should be anonymised. Sussex Police are directed by and must abide by rulings made by the panel chair. 

He faced allegations of breaching standards of professional behaviour in respect of Honesty and Integrity, Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Duties and Responsibilities, and Discreditable Conduct after he was alleged to have:

- Knowingly provided false and misleading information in his application to become a constable with Sussex Police and for the purpose of vetting.

- Stolen a controlled substance, diazepam, which was evidence in a live criminal investigation, from police property and falsified evidence bags to seek to hide his actions.

- Engaged in a sexual act with a member of police staff, Female A, at Brighton Police Station.

This was alleged to have happened between April 2017 and April 2020

The panel found the allegations against former officer X proven, and that this amounted to gross misconduct. Had the officer not resigned, he would have been dismissed without notice.

Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell from the Professional Standards Department said: "Police officers must behave in a manner that does not discredit the police service or undermine public confidence. The actions of this officer fell far short of the standards and integrity expected by Sussex Police, which is reflected in the findings by the panel. 

“The unacceptable conduct that has been heard here will not be tolerated but this poor behaviour should not overshadow the hard work by the vast majority of our officers, staff and volunteers within Sussex Police."