An on-duty police officer who hugged and kissed a woman he met on a dating website in his marked response car has been dismissed from the force without notice.
PC Andrew Ross, who was based at Royal Wootton Bassett, picked up the woman on two occasions in June and August 2019, driving her to an isolated location where they spent time together.
Yesterday, a misconduct hearing heard two allegations of gross misconduct against Ross – both being: The misuse of a police vehicle in relation to the carriage of passengers while he was on duty.
These acts constituted breaches of five parts of the Standards of Professional Behaviour code, including: i. Honesty and Integrity, ii. Authority, Respect and Courtesy, iii. Orders and Instructions, iv. Duties and Responsibilities, v. Discreditable Conduct.
Ross — who had previously been formally warned over his conduct at work — admitted both allegations at the hearing, chaired by a Legally Qualified Chair (in line with Police Conduct Regulations), held at Wiltshire Police HQ in Devizes.
Following the hearing Supt Steve Cox, Head of Professional Standards, said: “I believe the majority of police officers, staff and volunteers have the best intentions at heart in both their professional and personal lives – delivering the best they can day in day out.
“The public rightly expect all police officers and staff to operate to the highest standards of professional conduct – equally, our training and culture also demands this to be the case and I fully understand that any slight deterioration in such standards can have a detrimental impact on the highest levels of trust and confidence which we enjoy with our local communities and the wider national public.
“Whilst today is a disappointing one, I hope the outcome of this hearing provides confidence to the public that when a breach of our standards are appropriately identified or raised directly with us we will be robust but fair in how we consider and deal with any complaint.
“The Code of Ethics that all officers and staff work within, clearly sets out the behaviour that is expected by all of us whether on or off duty.”
