Police officer is handed final warning over explicit message
A POLICE officer has been handed a final written warning for misconduct after showing colleagues an explicit text message against the advice of senior officers.
Pc Katie Jackson admitted she should not have shown anyone the image of genitals sent to her by a detective constable and accepted that she had caused upset.
However, the Humberside Police officer was cleared of two further allegations – that she had made a false statement claiming she had been assaulted by a suspect and took time off as a result – at a misconduct hearing in Goole.
Panel chair Louisa Cieciora said there were discrepancies in accounts given by Pc Tim Lee, who was with Pc Jackson at Scunthorpe General Hospital, when the incident occurred in August 2016.
She said concerns over varying statements “led the panel to conclude it could not prefer one officer’s evidence over another, so we cannot be satisfied she lied about her absence from work”.
The panel noted that the explicit image had been shown to friends, not indiscriminately, and the positive character references made on Pc Jackson’s behalf, both personally and professionally.
But the officer had shown a lack of discretion and a failure to adhere to the advice of senior officers, showing disregard for authority.
Ms Cieciora added: “The final written warning is proportionate in these circumstances.”
The panel refused an application by members of the press to name the male officer who sent the text. Afterwards Det Supt Matthew Baldwin said as soon as the allegations came to light, the force carried out a full investigation. He said: “We and the public we serve rightly expect our officers to display the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and respect – whether they are out on duty or with their colleagues – and these expectations have not been met by Pc Jackson.
“Her decision to share an explicit picture of a colleague with other colleagues – after being told not to do so – showed a lack of respect and courtesy to the people she was working with. Our Professional Standards Department must uphold the standards of professional behaviour of both officers and staff.”