By Victoria Mckeown-
A married police officer from the force in Sussex used the national databaseo search a woman he wanted to date.
As often is the case when police officers breached standards of professional behaviour, the identity of the officer was withheld by the force.
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The police officer came into contact with the woman after investigating an allegation of theft from her son in 2017.The woman is believed to have been in a vulnerable state of mind due to her family issues, but was tacked down by the randy officer who fancied his chances after dealing with her criminal complaint.
An investigation by Sussex police and the IOPC did not reveal whether he indeed had a full blown affair with the woman after his unprofessional conduct was discovered.
However, it was established that he dated her at least once, and questioned after another officer spotted him spending time with the woman, who was officially a witness to the complaint she made, at her home.
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As the findings of the investigation was made public, no details were given as to whether the police pressed charges in relation to the allegations of theft. A conflict of interest arose once the officer became romantically involved with the woman,
Parents who report their children for criminal offences often come from dysfunctional homes this reflected by the fact the child would commit an offence from their parent, and the parent will choose to involve the law, rather than address the problem through the family network-if they have one.
He breached conduct rules by searching the police national computer after the woman asked him out for a drink.
Deputy Chief Constable Julia Chapman said: “We expect our officers to act with the utmost integrity, and in accordance with the code of ethics and the standards of professional behaviour.
“The actions of the officer fell far short of these which is reflected in the findings by the panel.
“I am extremely proud of the vast majority of our staff, officers and volunteers working hard within Sussex Police to protect our communities, catch criminals and deliver the outstanding service that the public should rightly expect.
“The unacceptable conduct that has been heard here will not be tolerated but this poor behaviour should not overshadow the hard work of others.”
The officer, who has been with Sussex Police for 19 years, was based at Hastings police station.
He was questioned after another officer spotted him spending time with the woman, known as witness at her home.
The seven-month investigation followed a referral from Sussex Police and looked at allegations that the officer had formed an inappropriate relationship with a woman and failed to declare it to his superiors. This allegation was not proven..
Evidence indicated that he had accessed information relating to her on police computer systems in 2018 and four out of the five allegations were proven.
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