Investigation into abuse of position with a vulnerable woman – West Yorkshire Police, March 2023

We received a referral from West Yorkshire Police about the conduct of one of its officers. They reported that the officer may have had a sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman they had contact with during their policing duties.

We decided to independently investigate the nature and extent of contact between the officer and the woman, including how and when they met, whether the officer abused his position to engage in a sexual relationship with a woman he had met while on-duty, and whether the officer’s decisions and actions were in line with national and local policies, procedures, guidance and training.

Our investigators examined mobile phone data and met with the woman the officer had a relationship with. The officer provided a written response.

We found that the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct with regards to abuse of position for sexual purpose. We decided that disciplinary proceedings should be brought against the officer and that they should take the form of a misconduct hearing.  

The misconduct hearing concluded in May 2025. The officer was found to have breached the police standards of professional behaviour for conduct and honesty and integrity. These amounted to a finding of misconduct. The officer was not found to have breached the police standards of professional behaviour for authority, respect and courtesy. The case for gross misconduct was not proven.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We recommended that West Yorkshire Police amend its policy for their staff to clearly highlight what constitutes a professional conflict of interest and how to declare and manage such conflicts. The force amended its policy in 2024.