A CHESHIRE Police officer filmed himself performing a sex act at work while wearing his full uniform.
Patrick Campbell shared the footage on Whatsapp and even accessed force systems in order to find out personal information about women he had met through dating apps.
The 35-year-old resigned from his position last month ahead of a misconduct hearing held on Thursday, August 8.
A panel heard that the inappropriate video of Mr Campbell, taken in a public toilet, came to light in September last year.
Over the course of an ensuing investigation, it was discovered that he had accessed the details of six different women met on Plenty of Fish and Tinder.
He told one that he knew where she lived, causing her ‘genuine fear and distress’.
In on message, Mr Campbell told her: “I’ll be round in 10 minutes.”
The Chester-based officer – who joined the force in 2015 – also took a picture of an Audi that had crashed into a bridge in July 2018, which he then sent to a woman he had met online.
Detective superintendent Chris Warren, head of the force’s professional standards department, said: “Police officers are placed in a position of trust and there are clear guidelines about the standards expected from them, including their responsibilities in relation to accessing and sharing police information.
“Patrick Campbell was well aware of these standards.
“Sadly, he chose to ignore them and blatantly misused police systems to gain personal information.
“His personal behaviour was totally inappropriate for a serving police officer.
“While he resigned before the misconduct hearing took place and admitted his guilt to some of the allegations, that does not in any way excuse his behaviour.
“Nor does it reduce the impact it had on his victims.
“I hope that the outcome of the hearing reassures the public that we take any concerns regarding the behaviour of officers extremely seriously and staff in these circumstances cannot seek to avoid being held to account by simply resigning from their roles.”
Mr Campbell was barred from working in law enforcement by the misconduct hearing, which he did not attend.
Chief constable Darren Martland added: “It is essential that the people of Cheshire have both confidence and trust in the service we deliver.
“We actively promote the highest standards of personal and professional behaviour and integrity to all officers and staff.
“I want to ensure that anyone who turns to us for help or who finds themselves in need of our assistance can be completely confident that they will be treated with the courtesy, respect and professionalism they deserve.
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“Unfortunately, in this case Mr Campbell’s behaviour fell well below the level expected of a serving officer and he grossly undermined the privileged position that his role as a member of Cheshire Constabulary demands and expects.”
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