Serving senior officer found guilty of misconduct is named by Dorset Police

A serving senior officer found guilty of misconduct has been named by Dorset Police.

Superintendent Peter Browning was issued with a final written warning which will remain place for three years following the hearing last month.

The matter concerned allegations that the officer participated in and/or failed to stop an inappropriate conversation on a train in April 2022.

The panel found that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Superintendent Browning actively engaged in the conversation.

However, it was satisfied that he would have been aware of it and breached the standards of behaviour by failing to stop it.

Prior to the start of the hearing, the independent legally qualified chair ruled that the officer could not be named at the time.

The reporting restriction was lifted with effect from today, Monday 1 July.

Following the misconduct hearing, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Lyne said: “I was disappointed to learn about the derogatory conversation that took place between serving members of Dorset Police staff about one of their colleagues.

“This officer failed in his duty to challenge and stop those engaged in the conversation and the outcome of the panel reflects the seriousness of this.

“Any behaviour which is contrary to the Equality Act, the Code of Ethics and the Professional Standards of Behaviour will not be tolerated and will result in serious consequences. Such unacceptable behaviour impacts negatively on public confidence and damages the reputation of the force.

“We know the vast majority of employees within the organisation are professional and do not demonstrate behaviour that has been heard in this hearing. Unfortunately, the actions of colleagues that day did not meet these high standards.

“We are committed to investigating any unethical or unacceptable behaviour relating to a member of our organisation and I would encourage members of the public to report them to the force so they can be thoroughly investigated.”