Police officer sacked over 'inappropriate' association

A Wiltshire Police officer has been dismissed without notice after a hearing found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

The hearing, held at Wiltshire Police Headquarters and chaired by Chief of Corporate Services, John Derryman, concluded that the actions of PC Gabriella Gilchrist breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of Orders and Instructions, Honesty and Integrity, and Discreditable Conduct.

The panel considered six allegations against PC Gilchrist and upheld them all. As a result, PC Gilchrist was dismissed without notice. She will also be placed on the national barred list which means she will not be able to work in policing in the future.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “PC Gabriella Gilchrist has been found to have been associating with someone that it was entirely inappropriate to have an association with. She has failed to follow the correct procedures in relation to registering her association with this individual despite being told to do so. When instructed to sever contact with the individual, PC Gilchrist failed to do so.

“Our processes for registering notifiable associations are there to safeguard the integrity of our officers and prevent the opportunity for corruption or compromise of information and protect the public.

“The officer has disregarded her obligations as a police officer, even off duty.  She has engaged in contact with the male trying to induce him to breach bail conditions imposed for her safety. These actions fall considerably short of the public expectations of honesty and integrity in police officers, even off duty.

“PC Gilchrist has failed in this duty and has rightly been brought to account for her actions. We remain resolute in our commitment to rooting out any behaviour that falls short of what our communities expect and deserve. 

"Only through eradicating wrongdoing from our organisation can we ensure that we maintain and build trust and confidence within our communities.”

In line with the Police Conduct regulations 2020, the officer has a period of 10 working days to appeal the outcome.