Former Sussex Police Officer Found Guilty Of Misconduct

10 May 2019, 18:52

A police officer who resigned from Sussex Police earlier this month would have been dismissed from the force without notice after a misconduct hearing found that he had breached standards of professional behaviour.

This is the statement from Sussex Police

A police officer who resigned from Sussex Police earlier this month would have been dismissed from the force without notice after a misconduct hearing found that he had breached standards of professional behaviour.

The independently-chaired hearing at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes on Friday (May 10) heard that in July 2016 former PC Mills had failed to adequately investigate allegations of harassment and stalking in the case of Shana Grice.

He had further failed to respond to a report of harassment and stalking made by Shana Grice on July 12, 2016, not contacting her or updating her on the incident. As a result, she was not treated as a victim of domestic abuse.

The hearing panel found that both allegations were proved and amounted to breaches of standards of professional behaviour in respect of duties and responsibilities; equality and diversity and discreditable conduct.

Former PC Mills did not attend, but the panel judged that if he had still been serving, he would have been dismissed without notice.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick May, said: “We deeply regret the tragic death of Shana Grice in 2016 and are committed to constantly improving our understanding of stalking and our response to it.

“Our then deputy chief constable personally visited Shana’s family to apologise on behalf of Sussex Police.

“When we looked at the circumstances leading to Shana’s murder, we felt we may not have done the very best we could and made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

“Since then we have undertaken all their recommendations, thoroughly reviewed all aspects of how we deal with cases of stalking and harassment and have significantly improved our service to victims.

“We are recording the second highest number of reports anywhere in the UK after the Met, and are now advising and supporting more victims than ever. With better awareness and enhanced training our approach is more robust in keeping people safe and feeling safe.