A serving PC at Warwickshire Police has been sacked without notice for "multiple breaches of professional standards amounting to gross misconduct".

A statement from the force said the officer misused police systems and was found to have "explicit images" on their work phone and "indecent images taken in the workplace" on their personal mobile phone.

At the start of the hearing on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April, the chair agreed to the officer's anonymity and a subsequent application to lift reporting restrictions was also refused on the grounds of "protecting children involved in the case" and "preventing unacceptable risk to their identity being revealed". 

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Armes found the allegation of gross misconduct proven and determined there had been breaches of the following standards: 

• Authority, Respect and Courtesy  
• Orders and Instructions 
• Duties and Responsibilities 
• Confidentiality 
• Conduct 

The officer has been placed on the barred list by the College of Policing. 

Detective Superintendent Paul Thompson said: "We welcome this decision and although it has been a lengthy investigation, it's ultimately one with the correct outcome. 

"We will always seek out and investigate officers where we believe there have been potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour we expect.

"We understand behaviour of this nature completely discredits the police service and the officer in this instance fell a long way short of the standards we would expect in our organisation.  

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"However, I would like to emphasise that the vast majority of officers and staff in Warwickshire go to work every day to make a difference and protect the community.

"We hope the public can take confidence from today's outcome knowing that we will deal robustly with any wrongdoing and take action accordingly." 

The officer was originally suspended in 2020, and a referral was made to the IOPC as part of a larger investigation involving the officer and other parties.

Following the conclusion of the IOPC investigation in early 2023, Warwickshire Police conducted further investigation between Spring 2023 and December 2024, which then led to the hearing. 

The outcome of the misconduct hearing is subject to the normal appeals process.