Two South Yorkshire Police officers would have been sacked without notice over gross misconduct had they not resigned, chief constable rules

The special case misconduct hearings into the officers’ conduct were heard earlier this month.

The findings of gross misconduct would have resulted in both officers being dismissed without notice had they not resigned prior to the hearings taking place.

In the first case, it was alleged that ‘whilst an officer was in a close personal relationship with a suspect, he deliberately influenced the direction and outcome of the criminal investigation to protect the suspect’.

The same officer was also accused of failing to ‘conduct appropriate investigations in relation to a mobile phone handed to him in a separate matter, which was believed to have evidence of drug dealing’.

Public documents released into the case reveal that Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, who chaired the special case hearing, found that ‘all aspects of the conduct were proven and amounted to gross misconduct’.

“The officer had already resigned but CC Watson decided that the officer would have been dismissed without notice, if still serving,” the document stated.

Proceedings into this case were brought following a complaint from a member of the public.

The second police officer was alleged to have ‘informed a complainant, the supervisor and other police colleagues on several occasions that a victim’s case was with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), but that they had

decided not to charge the offender’.

This was said to have taken place at a time when the CPS had not been sent the case to consider and therefore they had not made any charging decisions.

‘The officer accepted this allegation and that it amounted to gross misconduct’, a public document into the hearing stated.

CC Watson also chaired the second officer’s special case hearing, and once again found that the allegation did amount to gross misconduct.

He said the officer would have been dismissed without notice if they were still serving, and had not resigned prior to the hearing taking place.

A complaint made by a member of the public led to proceedings being brought against this officer.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said the force did not wish to comment on the individual cases of these two officers.

They confirmed that criminal charges would not be brought against either officer, and that both officers will keep their police pensions.