Former Sussex Police officer found to have breached standards of professional behaviour

Former PC Tamzin Duncan, 20, was the subject of an accelerated misconduct hearing presided by the Chief Constable at Sussex Police HQ on Tuesday, January 9.

An accelerated misconduct hearing is held when there is incontrovertible evidence and it is in the public interest to remove the officer from service as soon as possible, or in the case of an ex-officer, to have them placed on the barred list.

The hearing was told that the officer made an untrue allegation to Sussex Police that she was the victim of a serious assault on July 12, 2023, police added.

Police said that during the investigation for that matter, she made further untrue statements regarding the nature and circumstances of the alleged incident. She was also dishonest on her vetting applications prior to joining Sussex Police.

These matters amounted to a breach of the standards of professional behaviour of honesty and integrity, police added.

Chief Constable Shiner said: "I expect our officers to act with the upmost integrity, and in accordance with the force’s values, the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Behaviour. The conduct of this officer fell far short of those high standards.

“Never has it been more important for the behaviours and actions of every person who serves within policing to be beyond exemplary.

“As a Chief, I will continue to dismiss those whose conduct falls short of the high standards that I, my colleagues, and importantly, our communities rightly expect.”