Nottinghamshire Police held 10 misconduct hearings in 2023 - but only 2 officers were named

An off-duty officer, while under the influence, tried to force his way into licensed premises in Nottingham in June 2022

A total of 10 police misconduct hearings have taken place this year in Nottinghamshire, which have resulted in disciplinary action taken against officers. But only two of them have been held in public, leading to the officers in question being named.

The purpose of a misconduct hearing is to present the facts of the case and give officers the chance to explain their actions and the circumstances around them, according to Nottinghamshire Police. The aim of a public hearing is to demonstrate an 'open and transparent' disciplinary system within the force, showing that officers are held to account.

Such hearings should be held in public, according to Home Office guidance, with members of the public and the press allowed to attend them. Misconduct hearings may only be held in private due to national security fears, the interference with the prevention or detection of crime, and the welfare of the parties involved were taken into account.

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Chief Constable Kate Meynell led an accelerated misconduct hearing at the force's headquarters in Arnold in January. It found gross misconduct concerning former officer Connor Murry, who breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour by his actions relating to the searching of police systems for information relating to individuals.

This was undertaken for personal gain and without a legitimate policing purpose and Mr Murry would have been dismissed if he was still a serving police officer when the investigation took place. Another accelerated hearing, this time in private, highlighted the actions of a former officer who, whilst off duty and intoxicated in June 2022, tried to force his way into licensed premises in Nottingham.

He failed to leave the area of the city centre when told to do so by officers on duty and would have been dismissed if still a serving police officer. A private hearing conducted in April also found that a former special constable drove while under the influence in August 2022 and was also dishonest in the initial police investigation.

She would have been dismissed if she was still employed. A hearing in May revealed that a detective constable was also disrespectful at the end of a voicemail left for a member of the public.

The officer was handed an 18-months written warning. The latest hearing, also held in private, took place on November 20.

It found that a police inspector breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour by his posting of tweets on X (previously Twitter) between December 2, 2017, and November 1, 2022. The posts were made on the inspector's personal Twitter account, whilst identifiable as an employee of Nottinghamshire Police.

They were found to be derogatory and/or offensive and/or included discriminatory and/or abusive language and the officer was dismissed without notice. Another hearing was due to take place between December 20 and 22, after former Police Constable Daniel Bell allegedly breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour by his actions relating to racist and misogynistic language towards colleagues.

Superintendent Andrew Reynolds, Head of Professional Standards Directorate at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Over the last two years to date [November 9] we have held 25 misconduct hearings – 15 have been in public and 10 have been in private. The results of all misconduct hearings, whether public or private, are published on our website.

"The media and members of the public can attend any of our misconduct hearings, which are held in public. Any officer or member of police staff who falls below the exceptionally high standards we expect will be dealt with, which can include losing their job and being placed on the barred list.

“Sometimes a misconduct hearing must be held in private, so it does not prejudice a criminal investigation. However, the outcomes of these hearings are always published on our website for the public and media to see.

“It is vitally important that we are open and transparent, and the public have complete trust and confidence in Nottinghamshire Police.”