WIREDGOV

A Devon and Cornwall Police constable has been dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing arranged by the force, resulting from an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

PC Christopher Caley was alleged to have attempted to pursue an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable woman he met through the course of his duties in February 2019.

The officer met the woman when he had been deployed to a domestic incident. Later that day and over the next two months or so he sent her a number of flirtatious messages from his personal mobile phone. He also drove by her place of work in a police vehicle on a number of occasions.

The IOPC investigation began in May 2019 following a referral from the police force. On conclusion in February this year Devon and Cornwall Police agreed with our view that the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct. On 17 November at a hearing convened by the force, overseen by an independent, legally-qualified Chair, the allegations were found proven and breached a range of professional standards.

IOPC regional director, Catrin Evans, said: “Despite the woman indicating that she was not interested in any relationship with the officer, he continued to behave in an inappropriate manner by sending her messages of a personal nature. He abused his position of trust as a police officer, and the police disciplinary panel has imposed an outcome of dismissal without notice.”

The officer will now be placed on the barred list of former officers who cannot work for the police service in the future.