South Wales Police officer dismissed for inappropriate texts to female victim

A South Wales Police officer who formed a sexual relationship with a victim of crime has been dismissed.

Detective Constable Stuart Edwards sent inappropriate text messages to a woman who he met after attending a domestic incident in Swansea in December 2011.

In the weeks after the incident, text messages were exchanged between the two and while on duty the officer attended an address where they had sexual intercourse.

A complaint was made to the force’s Anti-Corruption Unit within the Professional Standards Department in 2021 and an investigation took place.

DC Edwards appeared before a misconduct panel this week, made up of a Legally Qualified Chair, a police Superintendent and an independent member.

Conduct

It was found that he breached the standards of professional behaviour of authority, respect and courtesy and conduct.

These breaches were proven at a level that constitutes gross misconduct and the panel delivered the sanction of dismissal without notice.

Chief Superintendent Mark Lenihan, head of professional standards, said: “There is no place in policing for those who abuse their position or authority for a sexual purpose, and the public rightly expects everyone in policing to act with integrity.”

“Behaviour such as this only serves to undermine the work of the vast majority of police officers who behave impeccably and serve the public with dignity and courage every day and we will robustly investigate those whose behaviour falls below the expected standards.”