Northumbria Police officer sacked after “inappropriate images” of a "sexualised nature" were posted on social media

A police officer has been sacked with immediate effect after inappropriate images of him were shared on social media.
A police officer has been sacked for misconduct after inappropriate images of him were shared on social media.A police officer has been sacked for misconduct after inappropriate images of him were shared on social media.
A police officer has been sacked for misconduct after inappropriate images of him were shared on social media.

The decision comes after an investigation carried out on behalf of Northumbria Police by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The investigation discovered several images had been posted on public Twitter and Instagram profiles which appeared to show him engaged in poses of a sexualised nature.

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Several inappropriate comments on the photos were then also found to have come from a profile attributed to the officer.

The investigation determined the officer “may have breached the standards of professional behaviour” by allowing the photos to be taken and posted as well as breaking rules of “confidentiality and orders and instructions” in place for police officers regarding appropriate use of social media.

It was decided the officer did have a case to answer and he went before a disciplinary hearing which was chaired by Northumbria Police Chief Constable, Winton Keenen.The hearing found the case against the officer to be proven and he was dismissed without notice. IOPC Director of Major Investigations, Steve Noonan, said: “This use of social media was entirely inappropriate and risked seriously undermining public confidence in the police.“When he became aware these images had been posted, rather than asking for them to be removed, he encouraged them by posting comments from his own social media account that were completely unacceptable for a police officer.“Thanks to our directed investigation, and the work of Northumbria Police’s counter corruption unit, he has now been dismissed and will be barred from working in policing in future.”