PC sent inappropriate texts to woman - panel

A former West Midlands Police officer who sent inappropriate messages to a woman he had arrested would have been sacked if he was still serving, a misconduct panel concluded.

The constable, who cannot be named after a ruling by the panel, made some remarks at her home, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

He went on to text her from his personal phone, including comments on pictures she posted of herself on social media.

The IOPC began investigating in May 2021 after the woman complained and the panel found on Tuesday that gross misconduct was proven against the PC.

The former officer was found to have breached several police professional standards including for respect and courtesy.

When interviewed, he agreed the messages were inappropriate in terms of their content and because the woman was under investigation at the time, David Ford, from the IOPC, said.

"Officers should not establish or pursue an improper sexual or emotional relationship with a person with whom they come into contact with during the course of their work, and who may be vulnerable to an abuse of trust or power," he said.

"He accepted that he had 'crossed the boundary' and he has now rightly been held accountable for that."

Screenshots of the messages were reviewed by the IOPC in their investigation and they took a statement from the woman who received them.

The hearing of the independently chaired disciplinary panel, which found the allegations proven, ruled the former officer should be placed on the barred list, preventing him from getting a job with the police in the future.

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