A DYFED Powys Police officer who admitted inappropriate sexual behaviour and making comments towards colleagues and (indirectly) members of the public has been dismissed from his post with immediate effect.

PC Simon England first appeared before an independent panel in April 2019. He was dismissed after the force challenged the previous finding of a conduct panel which would have enabled him to return to front line duties.

Following a judicial review into the 2019 hearing, this week PC England was brought before another panel, overseen by legally qualified chair, Sally Olsen.

PC England fully admitted the alleged conduct in its entirety and accepted that it amounted to gross misconduct. However, he did not believe that his conduct justified dismissal from the force.

The panel found that the behaviour in question amounted to serious breaches of the standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity and discreditable conduct, and he was therefore dismissed with immediate effect.

Examples of the conduct in question included inappropriate touching of colleagues with sexual intent, inappropriate comments to colleagues about masturbation and talk of specific sexual acts that he would wish to engage in with members of the public he had seen.

Following this second panel, temporary Chief Constable of Dyfed Powys Police, Claire Parmenter, said: “Dyfed Powys Police quite rightly expects the highest standards of professional behaviour from its officers and staff, as do the communities we serve and protect.

“The force cannot and will not tolerate behaviour of this kind. We will always take action to protect our officers, staff, and without question, the public.

“It is vital that we maintain public confidence in the force, and public confidence cannot be upheld by allowing individuals who behave in such a way to remain in the organisation.

“I am pleased to see that the seriousness of this matter has now been recognised and that the panel have judged this behaviour to amount to gross misconduct. This confirms that the decision to challenge the original conclusion via judicial review was absolutely the right one.”

As part of evidence heard at the original panel, PC England – who was previously based in Llanelli but had since been reduced to carrying out an office-based role at headquarters in Carmarthen – admitted telling colleagues he was planning a “w***athon”.

He was also alleged to have repeatedly touched a female colleague and made inappropriate sexual comments – but he denied ever touching the woman sexually.

In respect of his alleged conduct towards a female colleague on two separate occasions in 2017, the panel found that the actions of PC England were not sexual and were not intended to be sexual.

However, the panel considered his actions to be “a part of a wholly inappropriate, misguided, crass and objectionable series of attempts” by PC England to make friends with the officer.

The hearing had been told how PC England had previously engaged in unwanted physical and sexual behaviour with a colleague while working for Thames Valley Police and, in 2010, these concerns led to him receiving management action.

As a result of the 2019 findings, it was deemed he would not be deployed on his own with female officers.