Former PCSO told he “would have been dismissed” for gross misconduct

A former Warwickshire Police PCSO has been told he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not previously resigned from the force.

A misconduct hearing held on Tuesday (5 May) heard the PCSO made inappropriate contact via social media with a burglary victim after he had been round to her house to provide crime prevention advice.

The incident came to light after the victim reported the conduct to the force’s professional standards department. The matter was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct(IOPC) who carried out an independent investigation.

The hearing also heard that in a separate incident the PCSO had unwanted and inappropriate physical and social media contact with a colleague. This was investigated by the force’s Professional Standard’s Department following concerns raised internally.

The misconduct hearing was held at Warwickshire Police Headquarters in Leek Wootton and was chaired by Superintendent Mike Smith. The PCSO’s conduct was assessed as gross misconduct and the hearing determined that if he had not resigned from the force in October 2019 he would have been dismissed.

The PCSO was also placed on the College of Policing barred list.

The outcome is subject to the usual appeals process.

Superintendent Warren Little, head of the Professional Standards Department, said: “For the public to have confidence in the force it is important our officers and staff maintain the highest standards at all times.

“In this case I am pleased the member of the public had the confidence to make a report to the Professional Standards Department. This allowed a thorough investigation into his conduct to be carried out which resulted in this outcome and has ensured that the former-PCSO won’t work for the police or other law enforcement agency again.”

If you have any concerns about the conduct of a police officer or member of police staff you can report it in one of the following ways:

• By calling Warwickshire Police on 101.
• Via the complaints section of the website - https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/fo/feedback/tc/thanks-and-complaints/
• Visit your local police station.
• Contact the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC)
• Contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.