Barely a day goes by at the moment without a new story about yet another Police Officer charged with sexual offences – generally the targeting of vulnerable women, often domestic violence victims, whom the Officer has come into contact with and whose suffering he seeks to exploit for his own sexual gratification. This form of abuse of power has now been revealed to be frankly endemic in our Police Forces and all too many women who call 999 risk inviting emergencies into their lives in the form of abusive/exploitative Officers.
One such victim of Police sexual harassment was my client Laura, whose case I have recently concluded.
In late 2020 Laura had broken up with her current partner, Peter. Unlike some of Laura’s previous partners, her current partner was not physically abusive to her, but he had become unfaithful, and he had posted malicious content about Laura on social media. Laura has a past history of suffering domestic violence having been physically abused by one former partner and raped by another. She also suffers from the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia and has had past mental health difficulties including anorexia, depression, and anxiety.
The Police had been contacted to come and collect Peter’s belongings from Laura’s flat as she was scared of meeting him again. As a result, Laura was contacted by PC Long of Suffolk Constabulary, a married officer of some 22 years Police service. PC Long was made aware of Laura’s vulnerability, including that she had experienced suicidal thoughts in the past.
Over the next few weeks PC Long exchanged emails about her matter. Laura never met PC Long in person and initially found him polite and professional in his dealings with her. In February 2021, however, PC Long provided his work mobile phone number and suggested that the two of them communicate by this form; thereafter, his messages to Laura became increasingly personal, suggestive and ‘flirtatious’. The messages would imply that he was often in the vicinity of her home and could visit her for “a cuppa”. The officer was aware that several of his text message exchanges with Laura took place whilst she was drinking alcohol. One such message from PC Long suggested that he “Fingers crossed might be lucky enough to meet u sometime to see ur cheeky and maybe wild side?” Further references in the officer’s messages to having “fun” with Laura but not wanting anything “serious” made it clear that he was seeking a sexual encounter.
Laura became extremely distressed and worried by this tirade of messages from an Officer who was grossly abusing his position as a Public Servant and treating her as a sex object. She contacted the Police about what was happening, and the text messages immediately stopped.
PC Long was then investigated by the IOPC and found guilty of gross misconduct at a hearing in January 2022 – but was punished only with a (final) written warning and he therefore remains at the present time a serving Police Officer. This was despite the misconduct panel finding that PC Long had attempted to establish a sexual or improper personal relationship with Laura, who was clearly vulnerable to his abuse of trust and power.
I have now pursued a claim for harassment/ misfeasance in public office on behalf of Laura against Suffolk Constabulary, and she has been awarded £10,000 damages plus her legal costs.
In regard to the original purpose for which the Police had made contact with Laura, the collection of her ex-partner’s belongings – this task was eventually delegated to a female Police Officer. Of course, it should never have come to this; it is outrageous that Laura, like so many other women have been put in the position of being preyed upon for sex by male Police Officers after turning to the Police for help.
Laura’s mental health was improving up until the time that she had contact from PC Long, but the Officer’s behaviour plunged her back into depression to such an extent that she became tearful most days and felt almost housebound by her fear and mistrust of men.
Sadly, the lack of serious punishment for PC Long despite the misconduct findings against him is not an outlier: Freedom of Information requests widely reported upon in October 2021 revealed that 52% of Metropolitan Police officers (43 out of 83) found guilty of sexual misconduct between 2016-20 were allowed to keep their jobs, a pattern which repeats, sometimes to an even more extreme degree, across the other Forces of England and Wales.
What will it take for this form of despicable abuse of power to be rooted out of our Police Forces? Do we need to go to the extent of having all-female Police units dedicated to dealing with domestic violence victims because their male colleagues simply cannot be trusted not to take advantage of vulnerable women? That is the conclusion that seems to present itself, if those with the power to drive such behaviour out of the Police Service – by sending a message of ‘one strike and you’re out’ to male officers generally – decline to take that opportunity.
My client’s name has been changed.
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