Final warning for Wiltshire Police officer guilty of gross misconduct
PC Storm Brand acted in a sexually inappropriate manner to female colleagues
A Wiltshire Police officer has been given a final written warning, after a hearing found his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.
The hearing, held at Wiltshire Police Headquarters, chaired by an independent Legally Qualified Chair, concluded PC Storm Brand breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity.
Between July 2023 and November 2023, PC Brand was alleged to have acted in a sexually inappropriate manner towards female colleagues, during incidents while both on and off duty.
In some of these incidents, PC Brand was acting as a Sergeant and therefore a power imbalance existed between him and the colleagues that were subjected to his behaviour.
The panel considered three allegations against PC Brand; and a majority panel decision was made to uphold one of the allegations and partially uphold another allegation – one amounting to gross misconduct and the other amounting to misconduct.
The third allegation was not proven.
As a result, PC Brand was given a final written warning for three years.
Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said:
“Our communities rightly expect nothing but the highest standards of professional behaviour from all our officers and staff and this extends to our internal communities - our colleagues deserve to be treated with respect by their fellow officers and staff.
“PC Brand’s actions fell short of the standards we expect and has been held to account for his actions. I am grateful to those who stepped forward in this case to provide evidence and we continue to encourage our colleagues to report all behaviour and conduct that falls below the standards expected."
The officer has 10 working days to appeal the outcome.