Final warning for special police officer in Leicestershire found to have abused his position

A Leicestershire police officer was found by a gross misconduct hearing to have abused his position on the force.

Special police constable Gaffrey Wilson was accused of refusing to leave an office site while off-duty and using his police warrant card to attempt to resist leaving.

The misconduct hearing held at Leicestershire Police headquarters heard he had previously been employed by the company based in the offices. He had entered the head office to discuss “a personal employment matter”, the hearing report stated.

Spc Wilson entered the reception area and requested to speak to a number of individuals, the report added. The receptionist told him they were unavailable and he said he would wait.

A second, unnamed, member of staff there then asked him to leave, the report continued. At this point, Spc Wilson asked what would happen if he refused to do so and was advised the police would be called.

The report said he then “acted in a manner which was an attempt to intimidate, influence or apply undue pressure” on that staff member by producing his warrant card and saying words to the effect of “I am the police so there’s no point”. He used his finger to try to conceal the details of the force.

The panel hearing his case ruled his actions amounted to gross misconduct as he knew or ought to have known his actions were an abuse of his position and because his behaviour would undermine the public’s trust in the police. The event also had the potential to damage the reputation of the police in the public eye.

Spc Wilson maintained his innocence, the report added. He told the panel he had no intention to cause harm and apologised if the unnamed staff member felt bad as a result of his actions. He added his motivation for wishing to keep his job was to “change lives and make a difference”.

The panel ruled the conduct was intentional and the reputational harm caused by it was “foreseeable”. However, they did not accept his actions were done for personal gain – in which case the seriousness of the misconduct would have been increased – but was a spontaneous reaction in the heat of the moment and was caused by the “stress of the situation” in which Spc Wilson “felt a pressing need to get answers to his predicament”.

The hearing panel determined he should be issued with a final written warning rather than being dismissed. This warning will remain in place for five years.

Superintendent Alison Tompkins, from the force’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Spc Wilson used his policing powers while off-duty for a non-policing purpose. This is not accepted in force and is not in line with the standards of professional behaviour which are expected of all officers.

“The panel determined that in the case, the correct outcome was a final written warning. In reaching this conclusion, the panel placed particular weight on the short duration of the incident, its conclusion that the action was spontaneous rather than malicious and on the short duration of the officer’s service, being around two months.”