Thames Valley Police officer dismissed without notice for failing to disclose relationship with someone he met during his duties

A serving Thames Valley Police (TVP) officer has been dismissed without notice after he was found to have committed gross misconduct by developing a relationship with a person he met through the course of duties, failing to inform his senior officers of the relationship and giving a dishonest account of how the relationship started.
The police officer started a relationship with someone they were investigatingThe police officer started a relationship with someone they were investigating
The police officer started a relationship with someone they were investigating

The proceedings against the officer followed a two month investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which began in March 2020 after a referral from TVP.

A three-day gross misconduct hearing, which concluded on Tuesday 12 January, found the officer breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity, discreditable conduct, duties and responsibilities, and authority, respect and courtesy. The officer cannot be identified owing to reporting restrictions put in place by the chair of the panel.

TVP referred the matter to the IOPC after a routine internal audit of work mobile phones identified a significant volume of calls between the officer’s phone and another mobile number.

We established the officer had between September 2019 and January 2020 developed a relationship with someone who was related to a person they had investigated.

The officer gave a dishonest account of how he met the person to his supervising officer and failed to disclose a change in his personal relationship circumstances to TVP’s vetting department.

Our investigators gathered evidence including telephone records and computer system audits. We also received an account under caution from the officer, along with witness statements from police officers as well as a statement from the person the officer was in a relationship with.

IOPC Regional Director Graham Beesley said:

“The public expect and deserve to have trust and confidence in their police. When a police officer is deliberately dishonest it corrodes that trust and is a betrayal of the values for which the police service stands.

“The officer lied claiming he met the woman in a coffee shop but our investigation established the relationship came about after the officer investigated a member of their family

“Such behaviour amounts to serious corruption and those who abuse their position have no place in the service. The independent panel has reinforced the message that this sort of behaviour by police officers is never acceptable by dismissing the officer without notice.”

The officer will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.