South Yorkshire cop accused of breaching bail over contact with child set to face misconduct hearing today

The officer, who has not been named by the force, will have his case considered today.

South Yorkshire Police has published details of the allegation faced by the officer.

The force states: “Between March and July 2024, the officer breached the bail conditions by having unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 16.

“In July 2024, the officer attended Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to the breach of bail.”

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Should the officer’s allegations be proven they would amount to a ‘breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct,’ according to the documents.

They add: “The matter set out above is a breach of the Standards which is so serious as to justify dismissal and therefore constitutes gross misconduct.”

Detailing the ‘purpose’ of public misconduct hearings, South Yorkshire Police’s website states it is to ‘show’ that their ‘disciplinary system is open and transparent’ and to demonstrate that the force does ‘hold officers who breach the standards of professional behaviour, or those where misconduct is found proven, accountable for their actions’.

Hearings should be heard by a panel of three people that should be chaired by an independent legally qualified person chosen from a pool held by the local policing body, further guidance states.