Investigation into the conduct of an officer and his contact with victims of crime – Cambridgeshire Constabulary, May 2020
We investigated the conduct of a police officer and his contact with victims of crime in May 2020 following a conduct referral from the force. It subsequently became a criminal investigation for the offence of perverting the course of justice.
We specifically investigated the circumstances surrounding the officer establishing contact with one woman; the appropriateness of the contact between the officer and the woman during April 2020; and the level and nature of the contact he had with additional victims of crime. We also investigated the deletion of evidence from the officer’s force issued and personal devices.
Our investigators secured evidence from the former officer’s work and personal phone, took witness statements and interviewed him under criminal and misconduct caution.
We concluded our investigation in June 2021 but waited for all associated proceedings to be finalised before publishing our findings.
The officer resigned in 2020 during our investigation. We found the former officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct.
We also referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who decided to take no further action.
At the conclusion of a two-day hearing in October 2022, an independently chaired panel found gross misconduct proven against the former officer for abusing his position to obtain confidential information about three women who were in vulnerable positions, which he then used in order to engage in sexually inappropriate behaviour between January and April 2020.
It was determined that he would have been dismissed from the force without notice for abusing his position for a sexual purpose had he not resigned from the force.
The panel heard how in each case he began contacting and exchanging flirtatious or sexualised messages with the women, who have been granted anonymity, after they had been victims of crime. Two of the women were victims of domestic abuse.
Prior to the hearing, the former officer accepted having abused his position with respect to one of the women and that he exchanged sexualised messages with another. He maintained his contact with the third woman was innocent. However, the woman said she felt preyed upon by his actions.
The panel found the former officer’s actions breached police professional behaviour standards relating to integrity, authority respect and courtesy, orders and instructions, confidentiality, and discreditable conduct.
The former officer was placed on the police barred list meaning he can no longer be employed by any police service.
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. In this case, the investigation has not identified any learning.