Another gem of a Sussex Police officer, PC Robert Potts, has been terminated for victimising a colleague whom he suspected of reporting him for operating a police vehicle with emergency lights to collect three pals from a hotel.
PC Robert Potts, 47, attended a misconduct hearing at Sussex Police headquarters from April 7 to 9, presided over by a panel led by Surrey Police Assistant Chief Constable Peter Gardner.
Misconduct proceedings are presided upon by a chief police officer pursuant to the Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2024. This pertains to instances where misconduct proceedings were initiated on or after 7 May 2024. The misconduct panel includes two Independent Panel Members, appointed by the local policing authority [HOW THE F*** IS THAT INDEPENDENT IF YOU CHOSE THEM] to ensure independence and impartiality during the proceedings, representing the public interest.
The hearing revealed that the officer suspected a colleague had informed the Force’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) regarding his high-speed operation of a marked police vehicle while on duty in July 2022, travelling from Uckfield to Eastbourne to retrieve three female acquaintances from a hotel, thereby violating multiple traffic regulations. He thereafter delivered them to multiple locations in Eastbourne before returning to Uckfield to continue his responsibilities. He had been absent for almost 90 minutes.
The PSD was informed of this incidence and conducted an investigation. Simultaneously, PC Robert Potts’ application to join the Road Policing Unit (RPU) was suspended.
On 31 March 2023, PC Robert Potts attended a hearing concerning gross misconduct related to the event. He was adjudicated guilty of egregious misconduct and subjected to an extended Final Written Warning for a duration of three years.
The panel was told that PC Robert Potts then went onto victimise his colleague, making derogatory and disrespectful comments about them undermining their professionalism and repeatedly singling them out for criticism, at least in part because of their perceived involvement in his previous misconduct proceedings.
This amounted to breaches of the following Standards of Professional Behaviour: Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct. The panel found four of the allegations proven and that this amounted to gross misconduct. A further allegation was found not proven. As the officer was already the subject of a live final written warning, the only available sanction under the regulations was dismissal. The officer was dismissed without notice and will now be added to the College of Policing Barred list which will prevent a return to policing.
Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, Deputy Head of Force Professional Standards said: “Policing is an incredibly challenging profession, and we ask much of our officers and staff in the discharge of their duties.
“We expect our staff to challenge where they see behaviours that are not appropriate, or are in breach of the standards, and it is entirely unacceptable that, having been rightly challenged, PC Robert Potts victimised his colleague simply for doing what is expected, and making their role even more difficult than it already is.
“All staff are aware of the Standards of Professional Behaviour and the force remains committed to holding officers to account where they fall below the high standards the public rightly expect.”
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