Police officer dismissed for gross misconduct

A Devon and Cornwall Police officer has been dismissed for gross misconduct after sharing information on an injured colleague on WhatsApp, the force says.

A panel heard how PC Carl Farrar also accessed information about a member of the public from a policing system whilst at home and off duty.

PC Farrar was found to have behaved in a way that amounted to gross misconduct by a panel following a three-day hearing, the force said.

He was dismissed without notice.

The misconduct panel found that his actions breached the standard of professional behaviour.

The officer faced allegations that, following his attendance at a domestic incident in March 2020, he failed to follow procedures and complete necessary processes.

It was further alleged that he had been untruthful about the recording of the incident on the police log and in a police statement in April 2020.

Head of professional standards Det Supt Paul Kessell said: "His actions undermined the trust of the public and his colleagues, and such behaviours will not be tolerated by Devon and Cornwall Police.

"The officer's actions fell below the standards expected and dismissal without notice was the right and proper outcome."

The decision of the panel was that the officer would be dismissed without notice.

His details would also be submitted to the College of Policing's barred list, preventing him from working within policing again, the force said.

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