South Yorkshire Police worker accused of exposing himself

The police worker - not an officer - was off-duty when he was alleged to have been spotted in his vehicle with his trousers around his thighs.

He was the subject of a misconduct hearing, after which bosses issued a written warning for 'discreditable conduct'.

A police record on seven misconduct hearings held so far this year detail allegations lodged against staff and officers.

Detailing the allegation, the record states: "A member of police staff, whilst off-duty, parked his private vehicle outside a parade of shops and had his lower clothes pulled down around his thighs exposing himself.

"At this time a member of the public walked by and reported the matter to the police."

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "We take all incidents of this kind seriously and carry out an internal misconduct investigation when necessary."In this case, the Crown Prosecution Service did consider a criminal prosecution, but the evidential threshold for prosecution was not met, and the CPS made the decision not to take the case forward."However, we carried out our own internal misconduct investigation and found that the member of staff's behaviour fell well below the standard that we expect.

"Misconduct proceedings found that the member of staff had been responsible for discreditable conduct. This is defined as behaving in a manner which discredits the police service or undermines public confidence, whether on or off duty. As a result, the member of staff was given a written warning."

The police record also reveals that in March a detective constable received a final written warning after bosses received a complaint from social services about the way she dealt with allegations of a stepfather sexually assaulting two sisters.

It reveals that the complaint was received in February 2007 and that there was a misconduct hearing in March - 10 years later.

The police record states: "A report was received from social services detailing allegations of sexual assault against two sisters by their stepfather.

"The officer allocated to investigate the report failed to conduct a proper investigation into the allegations made by Miss A and Miss B and failed to take adequate steps to safeguard Miss A, Miss B and their younger brother."

In February a police officer was sacked for gross misconduct after arriving 'unfit for work' in December 2016, having driven to his station while over the drink drive limit.

A police officer received a final written warning for harassing his ex-partner, who was also a police officer and a member of staff received a verbal warning for an altercation with a nightclub bouncer while under the influence of alcohol on a night out.

The month before, a police sergeant received a final written warning after being found to have 'made frequent comments to a junior member of staff which were unprofessional and inappropriate'.

In May, a special sergeant was issued with a written warning over 'inappropriate posts on Facebook'.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Effective policing relies on the trust and confidence that the public have in us."We expect all our officers and staff to comply with professional standards of behaviour, and to put those standards into practice every day while in work, but also outside work."The College of Policing's Code of Ethics defines the standards of behaviour expected of everyone who works in policing, and the Code comprehensively covers a whole range of issues which our employees should consider when making decisions and using their judgement. These issues include honesty and integrity, respect and courtesy, and professional conduct."