Dorset Police officer dismissed for gross misconduct

A Dorset Police officer has been dismissed after he admitted using force computer systems to search for information about his family members.

PC Kenneth Walmsley also admitted using a police pool car for personal use at a misconduct hearing on Wednesday.

The force said it happened between March last year and January this year, and he also used a police fuel card to refuel the vehicle.

He was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.

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The panel found Walmsley, who had been employed by Dorset Police since 2001, breached standards of professional behaviour relating to orders and instructions, confidentiality, discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity, the force said.

He was working at Winfrith with the disclosure and barring service when he used a police pool car for personal use on a number of occasions, it added.

The panel found Walmsley did not disclose the information he obtained from the searches on the computer system to anybody else.

Following the hearing, Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan said: "I recognise that PC Walmsley served Dorset Police for more than 15 years prior to these incidents and showed remorse for his actions, which he fully admitted.

"However, it remains the case that his behaviour saw him fall below the standard expected of officers and took place over a period of several months."