West Yorkshire Police sergeant sacked for forming relationships with female detainees

A West Yorkshire Police sergeant has been fired from the force after being accused of forming relationships with female detainees they met in custody.
Police are appealing for informationPolice are appealing for information
Police are appealing for information

The case of the sergeant, who was dismissed without notice for discreditable conduct, is one of five cases where an officer from the region’s biggest force has been kicked out between December and May.

Since the start of May police forces nationwide have been told to hold misconduct hearings involving their officers in public. Three of Yorkshire’s four forces now reveal details of previous hearings held before May on their websites.

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Last month, a Humberside Police officer who assaulted two men was sacked in the first public hearing of its kind in the region. Pc Andrew Leggott assaulted two men when he was among officers called to a disturbance in Scunthorpe.

The first public misconduct hearing held by West Yorkshire Police had been due to take place this month but has now been adjourned for legal reasons.

Pc Toni Darroch was accused of telling a drug dealer to wipe her fingerprints off a box containing cannabis but was found not guilty of perverting justice at Leeds Crown Court.

On the West Yorkshire Police website, six cases have been published relating to hearings held between December and May.

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They include a police constable who gave a positive roadside breath test on their way to work and another constable who was accused of forging a signature on a witness statement. Both were dismissed without notice by the force.

In December 2014, a sergeant was dismissed after being convicted of common assault, while later in the same month a constable was fired for obtaining “a substantial amount of money from a vulnerable female during the course of their duties”.

Of the six misconduct hearings over the six months, only one did not result in the officer’s dismissal. A police constable received a final written warning for discreditable conduct after being accused of making contact “with females who are in a vulnerable position, usually as a result of domestic incidents”.

South Yorkshire Police, the first force in the region to routinely publish details of misconduct cases on their website, has revealed the outcomes of seven hearings from 2015.

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Of these, five saw the officer dismissed without notice, and in the other two the officer resigned prior to the disciplinary hearing taking place.

Among the cases was that of a police constable, who resigned before the disciplinary hearing in March, and was alleged to have assaulted a member of the public in his home address, and taken his SIM card from his mobile phone.

Another hearing saw an officer dismissed for using “force resources to produce a DVD showing a couple engaged in sexual acts” and then supplying a copy to the couple at their request.

In January, a police constable accused of “forming inappropriate relationships both on and off duty with two vulnerable females” was dismissed without notice. According to the force, “in relation to the misconduct case the officer was also accused of lying in a statement and causing a witness to lie”.

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Humberside Police, who have so far held the only public police misconduct hearing in the region, have held five hearings so far in 2015. Two resulted in dismissal and the three saw the officer given management advice or a final written warning.

In one case, a police inspector was given management advice for failing to deal with a road traffic incident in accordance with force policy. But a non-warranted police member of staff was dismissed for their attempt to impede the misconduct investigation “by lying and intimidation”.

North Yorkshire Police has not posted any details of previous misconduct cases on its website but a spokesman said it would publicise any future hearings.

Announcing plans for disciplinary hearings to be held in public earlier this year, Home Secretary Theresa May said: “The government has always been clear that the vast majority of police officers in this country do their job honestly and with integrity.

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“They put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. But the good work of the majority threatens to be damaged by a continuing series of events and revelations relating to police misconduct.

“The public need to have confidence that the complaints system is fair and effective and that the disciplinary system effectively holds corrupt officers, or those who are guilty of misconduct, to account for their actions.”