Former employee describes culture of misogyny at Dyfed-Powys Police

A former Dyfed-Powys Police employee has spoken out about the “toxic culture” she says women were subjected to within the force, describing it as a daily struggle to do her job.

Carys Phillips, 33, was one of nine women who gave evidence against Chief Inspector Gary Davies in April 2025.

Davies was dismissed for gross misconduct for inappropriate and misogynistic behaviour towards female colleagues between 2017 and 2020.

Speaking to S4C’s Y Byd ar Bedwar, Carys recalled working at the force’s headquarters in Carmarthenshire, where she said Davies created a negative working environment.

“It was very much ‘them and us’ between the men and women, and they would refer to us as ‘the girls’ and ‘the girls can do the typing’.

“They would talk over you in meetings, or not invite you to meetings at all,” Carys who lives in Cardigan explained.

‘Game’

She described the pressure women were under as feeling like a “game” to see “who could be pushed to the edge”.

Carys said the situation worsened after a departmental restructure in 2019, recalling a meeting with Davies that stood out.

“I could see that he was staring at my chest for a prolonged amount of time, more than just a glance.”

“I felt like an object. I was so, so uncomfortable.”

Following the incident, she said she avoided going into the office as much as possible, fearing no one would believe her if something happened.

The experience took a toll on her mental health. After eight years with the force, Carys left her job in 2022, saying she felt she had no other option.

‘Stress’

Carys lodged a formal complaint against Davies in May 2022 before leaving the force.

However, the misconduct hearing did not take place until April 2025, almost three years later, when he was dismissed.

In that time, Davies remained on full pay, which is typically around £80,000 per year for a Superintendent.

“The delay caused so much anxiety and stress,” Carys said. “But I was relieved to read what happened to others – it wasn’t just me.”

“You start to believe that you’re crazy and that you’re the problem. But no, it wasn’t me. It was him.”

Despite Davies being dismissed, Carys believes there is still a long way to go to tackle misogyny in the force.

“I don’t believe for one second that Gary being dismissed has eradicated the misogyny in Dyfed-Powys Police.

“There are so many bad apples and they are having such a negative impact on the culture where people don’t feel comfortable to speak up because your reputation is tarnished.”

‘Work’

In response, Ifan Charles, Temporary Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, said he “realised that there is much more work to be done” in dealing with cases like this.

While discussing the three year wait for Gary Davies’ misconduct hearing, he said: “I am very sorry to the victims who were part of that investigation – it took far too long.”

“Central to our approach is giving the best service to victims, and to do that victims need trust and confidence.”

He said: “We have to work very hard every day to make sure that all the interactions that we have leave a positive impression,” but admitted that “in some cases we failed to do that”.

Speaking on the force’s processes in the future, he said they are working “very hard to improve that by making sure our senior leadership team, and every other member of staff, is clear on what those standards of professional behaviour are for us.”

“The fact that Gary Davies has been dismissed sends a clear message to everyone else within the force about what is acceptable and what is not in terms of professional standards.”

Watch Y Byd ar Bedwar on Monday night at 20:00 on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer, with English subtitles.