A former Wiltshire Police officer has been charged with a child sex offence.
Barry Geering, who was a firearms officer up until 21 July last year, is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (13 May).
The 44-year-old, of Ealing, London, was arrested on 30 April 2024 as part of a proactive operation led by the Online Investigations Team at the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).
The team work alongside a national network of officers tackling offences online, including child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Geering formerly held the rank of Police Constable and was a firearms officer at Wiltshire Police the time of his arrest.
He was immediately suspended from duty and resigned from the force two months later, leaving on 21 July 2024.
He was charged on 7 April with attempted sexual communication with a child under 16 and released on conditional bail.
In a statement, a SWROCU spokesperson said: “Wiltshire Police’s Professional Standards Department are carrying out a separate investigation into potential breaches of standards of professional behaviour – this is an internal process separate to the criminal investigation.
“To protect the integrity of the ongoing criminal proceedings, we’re unable to go into more specific detail of the allegations at this stage.”
