Police officer banned over sexual misconduct
A police officer from Greater Manchester Police’s Trafford district has been banned from working in the profession after a disciplinary hearing which took place earlier in February 2023. He faced charges of gross misconduct involving sexual offences.
Former PC Craig Grocott was found to have sent messages and photographs to female colleagues that were of a sexual, suggestive and inappropriate nature. He persisted in his conduct despite being told to stop. Mr Grocott resigned from the force in October 2021.
Earlier this month, in another case, PC Ravi Canhye from Dorset appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court being accused of rape and six other sexual offences.
Elsewhere, during an interview with BBC Radio Wiltshire, Kier Pritchard, Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police said that he was “sickened” and “kept awake at night” by high-profile examples of police officers’ abuse of power. The comments from Chief Constable Pritchard came after David Carrick was jailed for multiple sexual offences earlier this month.
In 2021, in another high-profile case involving a former police officer, Wayne Couzens was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of Sarah Everard. During a media interview, Chief Constable Pritchard said “every single example chips away again at the trust and confidence” [in the police].
He added: “but the reality is that we need to go further and there are more examples that will surface across the country, and we are going through line by line, but please have some patience because there is going to be more to surface as we rid the service across the UK of behaviour such as this.”
Based on the Freedom of Information request by the Guardian, as many as 150 Met Police officers currently are under investigation for sexual misconduct or racism.
It is important that victims of sexual abuse by the police are supported in their fight for justice. They should also be entitled to claim compensation for the harm that was caused to them by the perpetrators.
