Allegations of inappropriate contact with a vulnerable victim of crime - Hampshire Constabulary, July 2015

In April 2017 Hampshire Constabulary received an allegation that a police officer had formed an inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable victim of crime from July 2015. They had first met when an officer attended the victim’s home address to take a statement about domestic issues they had been experiencing from their ex-partner.

Following an internal investigation, Hampshire Constabulary referred the case to us in July 2019.

The victim of crime declined to provide a statement to our investigation and the officer who the allegations were about denied the relationship.

During the investigation, investigators interviewed the officer, spoke with the victim of crime and collected evidence from Hampshire Constabulary such as personal vetting records, pool car logs and phone records.

Our investigation concluded in December 2019.

We found that there was insufficient evidence to put to a tribunal and that the officer should be reminded of the high standards they must uphold as a police officer.

We did not identify any opportunities for organizational learning or improvement.