Warning for Sussex Police officer

A Sussex Police officer has been given a written warning after a disciplinary hearing was told he used police computer systems to access records relating to a woman he met during his work.

The hearing was organised following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and concluded on Tuesday (February 22), the IOPC said.

The IOPC said misconduct was found proven for the officer, who was granted anonymity by the chair of the disciplinary panel, which ruled he had breached the standards of professional behaviour for confidentiality.

The IOPC’s investigation followed a referral from Sussex Police in May 2020 and looked at allegations that the officer had formed an inappropriate relationship with a woman and failed to declare it to his superiors.

This allegation was not proven, said the IOPC.

They said the officer came into contact with the woman while investigating a theft she reported in 2017, adding that evidence indicated he had accessed information relating to her on police computers in 2018 and four out of the five allegations were proven.

IOPC regional director Graham Beesley said: “Actions like this undermine the public’s trust in police officers who should know that it is entirely inappropriate to use police computer systems for personal reasons.”