PCSO who used his position to get close to shop worker 'would have been sacked' had he not resigned
An investigation has found that a West Midlands Police PCSO who abused his position to get close to a shop assistant and make unwanted advances would have been dismissed if he hadn't already resigned.
At a hearing that was held on Tuesday, gross misconduct allegations were proven against a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who was found to have breached police professional standards of behaviour.
The investigation into the PCSO, who has not been named, began in March 2021, after West Midlands Police referred a complaint from a woman about the conduct of the PCSO, who began regularly visiting a shop where she worked while he was on duty.
Evidence gathered during the investigation found that the woman felt obliged to give the PCSO her number because he worked for the police. The PCSO later sent her flirtatious messages complimenting pictures of her on social media. Messages of a sexual nature were also sent by him.
Investigators were also told by the woman's colleagues that she would hide behind the counter or at the back of the shop to avoid the PCSO when he went in.
After the woman made it obvious that she didn't want a sexual relationship with the PCSO and sent him information confirming she was vulnerable, he initially broke off contact - but started messaging her again several weeks later.
IOPC regional director for the West Midlands, Derrick Campbell, said: "Officers receive guidance on maintaining a professional boundary and that makes it clear they should not engage in, or pursue, a sexual or improper emotional relationship with members of the public they come into contact with through their work.
"Abuse of police powers for sexual purposes has a profound impact on victims and an aggravating feature of this case is that the PCSO continued to send sexualised messages even after the woman had made it clear she was vulnerable.
"Such behaviour is a breach of the public’s trust and also has the potential to reflect negatively on police colleagues, as well as impacting on the professional relationships they have with the communities they serve."
During the course of the IOPC investigation, which ended in July last year, the PCSO was interviewed by investigators under criminal caution. The investigators also obtained statements from the woman's work colleagues and officers who worked with the PCSO.
A file was later sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided not to bring charges.
