A Wiltshire Police officer has been sacked after sending offensive messages.
The now former traffic cop Frank Katus was dismissed without notice following a three-day hearing that concluded at the force headquarters in Devizes today (Wednesday).
The then-constable, assigned to the Roads Policing Unit, sent unwanted, inappropriate and offensive messages to two police staff colleagues in January and February 2023.
A misconduct hearing concluded that his actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity and discreditable conduct.
The board, chaired by an Independent Legally Qualified Chair, dismissed him without notice.
Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said: “PC Katus’ actions fell well below the high standards of professionalism that we, and the public, expect from all police officers, staff and volunteers.
“When details of his behaviour were reported to us, he was immediately suspended from his role and an investigation commenced.
“There is no place within our organisation for anyone who conducts themselves in this inappropriate manner and PC Katus will now be placed on the national barred list which means he will not be able to work in policing in the future.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the complainants who have supported the investigation – we encourage all members of our organisation to use an anonymous reporting tool if they have concerns regarding a colleagues behaviour to help ensure we have a positive, supportive and inclusive culture for the benefit of our colleagues, and ultimately our communities we serve.”
In December, Wiltshire Police launched a new Safe2Say anonymous reporting system.
The bespoke internal software is geared to giving officers, staff and volunteers the confidence to report any wrongdoing, concerns they have or intelligence surrounding our workforce.
