Sussex Police will not name officers dismissed for gross misconduct

Police officers face dismissal for gross misconduct, which in recent years has included improper relationships with vulnerable women, selling themselves for sex and using racist language.

Only the most serious cases are considered for dismissal, the force said.

However, The Argus reveals today that some officers have been booted out of the force without telling the public in meetings “held in private”.

File picture: Sussex Police officers have been dismissed for gross misconduct without the public being told

There have been 21 officers dismissed since 2017 – some of these have been made public.

The force says it has notified the College of Policing (CoP) of the dismissals “held in private”.

The Argus reports on the case of James Breeds today and can also reveal another by chance.

Their names are published in a “Barred List” found on the CoP website.

However, you need the second name of the officer to be able to search this information.

READ MORE: Argus says police must name those dismissed for gross misconduct 

By guessing popular surnames, The Argus has managed to find one of the mystery officers kicked out of the force.

Patrick George Baker was dismissed in 2018 for accessing police records about people for a personal interest, not for a police purpose.

He also requested his colleagues carry out location checks on vehicles, also for a personal interest.

The website to search for dismissed officers can be found here.

Considering this information is available to the public, but only if you know the second name of the officer, The Argus asked the force to provide the names of all 21 officers dismissed since 2017.

But the force has refused, citing privacy.

Transparency is listed as one of the four key values in the Competency and Values Framework for policing.

It states: “This value links to the principles of honesty and openness from the Code of Ethics.

“We are transparent in our actions, decisions and communications with both the people we work with and those we serve.

“This ensures that we are honest and open in our interactions and decision making.”

'No, we will not tell the public' 

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Sussex Police has a policy of openness and transparency including in publishing information about police misconduct proceedings in line with national guidance.

“As with any public organisation that holds personal data, our duty to publish information must be carefully considered against the rights of those individuals whose information we hold. This includes the very basic right to privacy and family life that we all enjoy.

“We conform to national police regulations and proactively publish information for all public misconduct hearings at the time they are held, hearings to which members of the news media and the public have opportunity to attend.

“We also fulfil our obligation to ensure all officers discharged from service are prevented from being re-employed through the national police Barred List.

“Police misconduct is a civil matter relating to unacceptable behaviour in the workplace and, no matter the circumstances of their departure, even former police officers and their families have a right to privacy that even criminals enjoy by law.”

• Nurses and midwives barred from practicing can be found on nmc.org.uk.
• Dentists barred from practicing can be found on olr.gdc-uk.org.
• Doctors barred from practicing can be found on mpts-uk.org.
• Teachers barred from teaching can be found on gov.uk, searching Teaching Regulation Agency.

Unlike the police Barred List, the identity of nurses, dentists, doctors and teachers are revealed in regular updates and results of hearings - which means anyone can see lists of who has been barred from the profession.

READ MORE: Argus says police must name those dismissed for gross misconduct 

The College of Policing has been contacted for comment. Earlier this year, high-ranking Inspector Tony Lumb was sacked from the force for having sex with women while on duty – including a victim of a hate crime.

Inspector Tony Lumb

His 27-year career with Sussex Police was brought to an end after a panel ruled his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

In 2018, Det Con Richard Holder was sacked without notice after selling himself for sex while on sick leave.

He admitted all of the allegations and had apologised for his lack of judgement.

In 2016, PC Paul Revell, who was based at Brighton, faced an allegation of using the word n***** while speaking with his colleagues.

He claimed he used the word to stop “banter” between his colleagues.