Essex Special Constable dismissed over Instagram messages
A misconduct hearing has taken place this week
A Special Constable serving with Essex Police has been dismissed for sending inappropriate Instagram messages to strangers while off-duty.
Liam McCready-Gardner was found to have breached the Constabulary's Standards of Professional Behaviour, and he was let go without notice.
He was convicted of malicious communications, and has been ordered to pay almost £300 in costs.
He was arrested on March 2, and suspended from his role, after one of the incidents was reported to the police.
An Accelerated Police Misconduct Hearing took place earlier this week, where the allegations against him were proven.
The Chair of the hearing, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, found he had committed gross misconduct.
Chief Constable Harrington said: “I demand the highest level of conduct from all my officers and staff and Liam McCready-Gardner has fallen woefully short of that standard.”
“We police with the public’s consent, and his actions could serve to damage their confidence in us.”
“His actions do not reflect Essex Police and the thousands of officers and staff who keep you safe, including when you go online.”
“When the offences came to light, he was investigated by my officers and that investigation led to his conviction.”
“We have now acted quickly to ensure he can no longer represent Essex Police.”