Sussex Police officer sent inappropriate messages to woman

A misconduct hearing was held at Sussex Police headquarters in September 2023, and then adjourned until January 4, 2024, in front of a panel led by an Independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC).

The officer, referred to as Officer X, was granted anonymity by the LQC after making legal representations before the hearing.

"The hearing was told that Officer X, who was based at Arundel, sent a number of inappropriate messages using WhatsApp to a vulnerable female member of public after meeting her on duty,” a police spokesperson said.

"The officer then accessed the woman’s police records for no proper policing purpose.

“Once the allegations came to light, the officer was suspended from duty and an investigation commenced.”

Police said the officer was ‘alleged to have breached standards’ of professional behaviour in respect of Discreditable Conduct and Confidentiality.

The breaches was proven by the misconduct panel and it was ‘determined that this amounted to misconduct’. Officer X was given a final written warning for two years.

Detective Superintendent Jon Robeson, deputy head of Professional Standards, said: “Sussex Police expects the highest personal and professional standards of anyone who works for us and the actions of this officer in this case fell short of those standards.

“We are ensuring that all staff are aware of appropriate professional boundaries and have invested in a comprehensive programme of cultural change towards challenging, reporting and tackling unethical or unprofessional behaviour. Such behaviours have no place in Sussex Police and this has been reflected in the outcome of the hearing today."

LQCs are selected from a list of independent, legally-qualified persons to conduct police misconduct hearings, and are governed by Police Conduct Regulations. LQCs work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and others to ‘instil and embed as much transparency and proportionality into misconduct hearings’.

A police spokesperson added: “It is the responsibility of the LQC alone to determine whether or not a hearing is partially or wholly held in public or in private, and whether any participant should be anonymised. Sussex Police are directed by and must abide by rulings made by the panel chair.”