A Wiltshire police officer who faked a letter from a surgeon to avoid duties quit just two days before a misconduct hearing.
Three allegations against PC Chloe Stokes were proven at an accelerated hearing held at Wiltshire Police Headquarters on Wednesday (10 July).
The officer resigned on 8 July, ahead of the hearing – which was chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith.
The panel considered three allegations relating to a letter presented by Stokes, which claimed to be from a consultant surgeon.
It was later found that she had created the letter herself and submitted it to her line manager, intending it to be treated as genuine. The content was aimed at securing temporary workplace restrictions.
All allegations were upheld. The panel determined that her actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, and discreditable conduct.
Had Stokes – who worked in the offender management team – not resigned earlier, she would have been dismissed without notice.
She will now be placed on the national barred list, preventing her from working in policing in future.
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “Our communities rightly expect nothing but the highest standards of professional behaviour from all our officers and staff.
“We continue to encourage and enable all members of our organisation to report concerns they have regarding a colleague’s behaviour and we won’t hesitate to investigate without fear or favour.”
