TWO PSNI officers have been dismissed over ‘abhorrent’ sexual assaults against colleagues.
The separate incidents occurred while the off-duty male officers were at social events with colleagues.
Chief Superintendent Stephen Murray, head of the PSNI’s Standards Department, said the incidents risked undermining confidence in the police.
“We recognise the significant harm that sexual misconduct, harassment, misogynistic and sexist behaviour can cause to victims, individuals, teams and public confidence,” he added.
‘Zero-tolerance approach’
The first male officer was dismissed after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault against a female colleague.
These occurred during social events when the officers were off duty and consisted of non-consensual sexual touching of the female colleague’s buttocks.
This was determined by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to be gross misconduct and the officer was dismissed from the organisation.
In a separate case, the second male officer faced internal misconduct proceedings following unacceptable behaviour during a work night out.
The male officer made a sexualised comment towards one female colleague and groped the buttock of another female colleague.
“This represented a serious breach of professional standards and risked significant damage to confidence in policing,” said Chief Supt Murray.
“The Chief Constable determined this behaviour to be gross misconduct and this officer was also dismissed.
“The officer had been previously found guilty of sexual assault, in a criminal court, in respect of the same incident.”
He added: “These dismissals demonstrate that sexual misconduct, misogyny and sexist behaviour have no place in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and reflect our zero-tolerance approach to this type of behaviour.”
‘Dismissive’
The officers were dismissed from the PSNI on Thursday, May 28 following Special Case Hearings conducted by the Chief Constable.
It was determined that the behaviours they demonstrated were ‘abhorrent and completely dismissive’ of any respect towards colleagues in the workplace.
At a recent meeting of the Policing Board, Mr Boutcher said everyone employed by the PSNI must understand the importance of professional standards and a respectful workplace culture.
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