Panel Rules Former Officer Would Have Been Dismissed for On-Duty Misconduct

A panel determined that a police officer, described as “dishonest,” would have faced dismissal from the force had she not already resigned, following her travel to a comedy show while on duty. Sharon Taylor, formerly a police constable with Suffolk Police, drove to Nottingham and then back to Norfolk on March 10, a period during which she was scheduled to be working. According to the report, before commencing this journey, she had visited the constabulary’s headquarters and accessed her work account for a duration of three minutes before departing in her personal vehicle. Taylor acknowledged that her actions constituted gross misconduct and offered an apology for her conduct. During a misconduct hearing, evidence presented to the panel indicated that Taylor had conducted internet searches for a “comedian in Nottingham” and “parking in Nottingham” in the preceding days. Ms Taylor, whose actions demonstrated a “lack of integrity,” also sought to claim payment for working anti-social hours, an attempt to create the impression that she had been on duty. Furthermore, on February 18, Taylor drove to another social event, traveling on the A140 towards Norwich during a time she was scheduled to be working. Evidence also revealed her failure to perform any work on January 28, February 4, and February 17, having only briefly accessed her personal constabulary account on those dates. Subsequent to the hearing, it was determined that Taylor’s conduct constituted gross misconduct, which would have resulted in her dismissal had she remained a constable. Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison stated: “I consider she deliberately set out, on the dates in question, to appear to be working when in fact she was not.” He added: “I have determined a final written warning would not have been appropriate due to the serious nature of the misconduct.” Davison concluded: “Therefore the only reasonable, proportionate and appropriate disciplinary action in this case is that Ms Taylor would have been dismissed.”