Sacked...sergeant who had sex with 2 lovers on duty

A ROMEO police officer has been kicked out of the force for bedding two women while on night duty.

Sergeant Alan Ward, 40, switched between lovers when he should have been dealing with 999 calls.

But the instant response officer was caught red-handed by colleagues.

Ward was caught with one of his mistresses when officers from the professional standards department knocked on the door.

Detectives had gone to the home following a tip-off, Sussex Police said.

It is believed they traced his movements to and from the women’s homes by analysing the GPS system on his personal radio.

Trysts

They were able to pinpoint where he had been at any given time.

Out of 56 night shifts between January 1 and September 30 this year, he had 27 illicit trysts with one or other of the women.

Chief Constable Giles York ruled that Ward’s actions amounted to misconduct at a disciplinary hearing. He sacked Ward with immediate effect at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes on Tuesday.

He ruled: “He was there to serve his community and failed to be there for them on a number of occasions.

“Mr Ward has let down the code of ethics for policing, let down the police and let down the public by not fulfilling the role of a police officer at a time when the pressure on my staff is high. The appropriate sanction is dismissal with immediate effect.”

Ward, of Bognor Regis, had previously admitted the accusations.

He joined Sussex Police in March 2001 and had served as a sergeant for 10 years.

In police jargon, detectives who work in professional standards departments are known as “rubber heelers” because officers never hear them arriving.

Assistant Chief Constable Laurence Taylor said: “At a time when the demands on the force and his colleagues are considerable, this officer’s actions fell woefully short of the expectations of Sussex Police and the public he was meant to serve.

“I am pleased that our confidential reporting system, through which this was first reported, demonstrated that his colleagues were similarly as disappointed by his behaviour.

“It is important to show that the force will fairly investigate its own staff and this highlights our determination not to allow a very small number of officers to damage the confidence held in Sussex Police.

“Nor [will it] bring into disrepute the enormous amount of good work carried out day-to-day by thousands of hard-working and enormously dedicated staff across the county.”