'Predatory' police officer abused position to pursue inappropriate fling with witness
A 'predatory' police officer posted pictures of herself in uniform on Tinder and pursued an inappropriate fling with a witness.
A misconduct panel heard how a police constable abused her position by deliberately getting a barman's personal details during an investigation, then tracking him down to arrange a date.
Following her inappropriate relationship with the witness, an investigation discovered the 27-year-old constable had been looking for love on the dating app using photos of herself in uniform.
The officer, who cannot be named because anonymity has been granted to protect her mental health, was already been warned about her social media. This is because she had previously posted videos on TikTok videos in her uniform.
In 2021, the officer was 'spoken to at length' by the force's Anti-Corruption Unit after she shared photos of herself and colleagues in uniform on social media.
She said that her 'opinion of what is offensive differs from that of ACU' but formally acknowledged to adhere to social media policies.
The officer had been in the police force for fours years and was based in Portsmouth.
At the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary misconduct hearing, the force's Deputy Chief Constable Samantha de Reya ruled the woman would have been sacked if she had not already quit.
Her offending began when she was called to an incident at Fareham Rugby Club, on May 7, 2022, when met a barman named only as 'Mr X'.
Detective Inspector Simon Clifford, from the ACU, told the hearing: "PC A was deployed to a public order incident at Fareham Rugby Club, it was a standard kind of public order incident.
"She is on duty and in full police uniform.
"At the incident, PC A obtains the details of witnesses including Mr X, who was working behind the bar, but did not see anything of the incident.
"The hearing was told the officer logged his details including his date of birth and phone number.
"At some later time she searches Mr X on Instagram and then contacts him and organises a date with him,
"They ended up having a brief sexual relationship."
Police officers are strictly prohibited from abusing their roles as a police officer for a sexual purpose.
Speaking about her images on her Tinder profile, DI Clifford said: "She is clearly in full uniform and it clearly shows her role as a police officer.
"In her criminal interview, PC A admits putting the images on Tinder and states they were so anyone who hated the police or was involved in crime would know her job and wouldn’t contact her.
"It also demonstrates a complete failure to learn, reflect and understand on her previous interactions with the ACU when she was provided and confirmed she had read the Social Media Policy."
Following her arrest, a search of her car at a hotel car park in Bournemouth, Dorset, found that in her boot PC A has a canister of pepper spray - which is classified as a firearm.
She said she forgot to remove it from her vest when she finished work prior to the arrest. PC A had also taken photos on her phone showing 'operational policing activity and personal data information about members of the public'.
Sgt Spencer Wragg, representing the officer, said: "She fully admits her part in this, there's a concoction of elements to this, it's not just one breach.
"She is trying to move on in her life away from policing and hopefully others will learn from her mistakes."
PC A will also be placed on the Police Barred List for five years.