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Police officer sacked after ‘engaging in sexual activity’ with colleague in patrol car
PC Kieran Gale has been dismissed for gross misconduct after having sexual encounters with a trainee special constable he was assigned to mentor. West Mercia Police’s panel found he abused the trust attached to his role and damaged public confidence by engaging in sexual activity while on duty and in a patrol car.
The incidents took place in 2018, including during a search for a missing person, and at a fast-food restaurant car park and a supermarket petrol station in Telford. The panel said Gale also sent the trainee, identified as Ms A, explicit messages and images. It found their relationship was consensual but that Gale’s conduct was discreditable; the case reached professional standards investigators in June 2024 after a phone was seized in an unrelated investigation.
In short
- Mentor officer dismissed for gross misconduct.
- Incidents included sexual activity during a missing-person search.
- Panel found he abused a position of trust.
Explained simply
Police officers are expected to follow professional standards both on and off duty. Gross misconduct is a serious breach of those standards and can lead to dismissal without notice.
A special constable is a volunteer police officer with many of the same powers as a regular officer. Trainee special constables receive guidance from experienced officers, so a mentor has a position of trust and responsibility towards them.
Police forces investigate complaints about officers through professional standards teams. Misconduct hearings consider the evidence and decide whether an officer’s behaviour breached the standards expected; they are separate from criminal proceedings.