Commissioner concerned over ex-officer abuse

A police commissioner has said he will ask his chief constable whether the force is "doing enough" following the sentencing of a former Essex officer.

Mark Ling, 39, was jailed for four years and six months after tricking girls into sending him explicit images by posing as a teenager on Snapchat and TikTok.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst, said he would meet with Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington.

Mr Harrington has said Ling "does not represent" the thousands of hard-working officers in the county.

Ling, from Ipswich, admitted 13 sexual offences involving children and was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.

The force said it was told of allegations about offences that happened between March 2021 and February 2023.

He was sacked from the force following an accelerated misconduct hearing in December 2024.

Mr Hirst said 143 people were rejected from roles at Essex Police last year following the vetting process.

In 2023, inspectors rated its vetting and counter-corruption measures as "good".

"It is good to know that bar is being kept high and it is something I review with the chief constable on a regular basis," he told BBC Essex.

"We are looking at what the history is here, but frankly one case is too many.

"This is something that is really disgusting behaviour. I will now be sitting with the chief constable again asking are we doing enough? What more can we do?"

Mr Hirst also revealed about 40% of the Essex force had been hired in the last five years.

Ling joined the force as a police constable in 2010 and later served in one of its operational support groups.

Mr Hirst continued: "Public trust and confidence in policing is undermined by every single case that we get like this and it is a huge frustration to the overwhelming majority of police officers we have who go out and do a job and protect the public and keep them safe.

"I'm very pleased that he is gone but the question is how can we be sure that it won't happen again?"

Mr Harrington has said tackling violence against women and girls is an "absolute priority" for the force.

"This is not something where women and girls are alone, we men have to stand up and make sure that this sort of behaviour is eradicated," added Mr Hirst.

Mr Harrington said: "[Ling] does not represent the thousands of hardworking, professional, and dedicated officers, staff, and volunteers who work tirelessly each day to keep you safe.

"I know they are as disgusted at Ling's actions as the public will be."

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