Essex Police Officer dismissed
Former-PC Kathy Gymer had accessed police systems on several occasions
A misconduct hearing has found a former Essex police officer would have been dismissed had she not already resigned from the force.
The hearing heard that on Friday 9 August 2024, while at home and off-duty, former-PC Kathy Gymer had accessed police systems on several occasions, including watching body worn videos, without a policing purpose. She also showed these videos to a friend.
The panel also heard that while former-PC Gymer was on duty two days later (Sunday 11 August) she accessed a second police system to search for details of someone she knew personally, and furthermore, shared this information with a third person.
An investigation was led by our Professional Standards Department and the allegations were heard at a misconduct hearing chaired by Assistant Chief Officer Fiona Henderson over two days on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 October 2025.
The Chair found that all the allegations were correct and that former-PC Gymer had breached several professional standards.
ACO Henderson said: “Ex-PC Gymer’s actions represented a clear and serious breach of the professional standards expected of those who serve in policing.
“By accessing police systems without legitimate purpose and sharing confidential information with others, the officer failed to uphold the standards expected of all officers and staff.
“Trust is the cornerstone of policing. The public rightly expects officers and staff to act with integrity and respect the sensitive nature of the information they access.
“When that trust is broken, it undermines confidence in the entire service. The panel’s findings reflect the gravity of these breaches and the importance of maintaining the highest standards of professional behaviour.”