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Essex Officer Fired for Workplace Misconduct
6 Dec
Summary
- Officer James Swales was dismissed for gross misconduct.
- He pursued relationships with junior and other colleagues.
- His actions breached standards of honesty, respect, and conduct.
An Essex police officer, James Swales, has been dismissed for gross misconduct after engaging in a relationship with a junior colleague and failing to disclose it. The misconduct panel heard that Swales also attempted to initiate unwanted relationships with other colleagues between 2020 and 2023.
His unacceptable behavior included pursuing intimate relationships and sending inappropriate messages. This conduct violated standards of honesty, integrity, authority, respect, courtesy, equality, diversity, and discreditable conduct. Assistant Chief Officer Fiona Henderson stressed that such actions would not be tolerated at Essex Police.
Swales was dismissed without notice and barred from future policing roles. The panel acknowledged the women who came forward, describing their evidence as credible. Given the severity of the misconduct and the absence of remorse, dismissal was deemed the only appropriate outcome.
