March 23, 2022 7.30 pm This story is over 24 months old

Former police officer found guilty of gross misconduct

| Photo: Humberside Police

Following a misconduct hearing, former Humberside Police officer Phillip Payton has been found guilty of gross misconduct.

Mr Payton’s conduct is ruled to have breached the standards of Professional Behaviour on 13 occasions.

An independent panel, led by a legally qualified chair, heard Mr Payton had made a catalogue of errors.

These included returning devices to suspects earlier than they should have been returned, being dishonest with his supervisors, failing to update complainants, failing to submit files to the CPS and failing to submit exhibits for forensic examination.

Following the two day hearing, the panel found all allegations against Mr Payton proven and that his actions collectively amounted to gross misconduct.

They concluded that had he not resigned he would have been dismissed without notice.

Mr Payton had already resigned from the force when the case was heard and will now be added onto the National College of Policing’s barred list which prohibits him from working within policing.

Superintendent Matt Baldwin said: “This was a concerning case where an officer repeatedly breached the standards of behaviour that we expect here at Humberside Police, putting investigations at risk.

“He is no longer serving the public as a police officer and I hope this offers reassurance to our communities that investigating crime and putting offenders before the courts is something that we take very seriously.

“I am pleased to share that all of the investigations that Payton failed to appropriately investigate were reallocated to other officers and subsequently convictions were secured in the majority of them.”

“The case was also reviewed internally and learning was implemented to prevent any further instances of this nature.

“As part of our commitment to victims, supervisors across the force work very closely with their teams to ensure that investigations are of the highest standard and any concerns are flagged and addressed.”