Northamptonshire Police sergeant 'degraded' female officers, panel hears

A former police sergeant created a "hostile, intimidating and degrading" working environment for female colleagues, a disciplinary panel heard.

Richard Hall resigned from the Northamptonshire Police before his misconduct hearing took place.

He admitted gross misconduct and apologised to ex-colleagues affected by his behaviour, the force said.

Northamptonshire Police said its officer would have been sacked had he not already quit.

The hearing took place on Friday and was not attended by Mr Hall, who worked in Wellingborough.

It heard how he slapped a colleague on the bottom at a wedding where they were both guests in September 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

He then reminded her of the incident when they both attended another social event several months later and went on to make more inappropriate comments.

Mr Hall also tried to lick a colleague's face while they sat in a photo booth during a Christmas party in December 2019.

The misconduct hearing was told he asked uninvited questions that made a colleague uncomfortable in September 2020.

He also made comments about a woman's personal life in February 2021 and the pattern of behaviour continued in December 2021 and January 2022.

The panel, chaired by Northamptonshire Police's temporary chief constable Paul Gibson, found the allegations proven and that the behaviour was inappropriate.

It said Mr Hall failed to treat junior officers with respect and courtesy and failed to maintain a professional boundary.

The force said the conduct was "unwanted... and as such created a hostile, intimidating and degrading work environment for the female officers concerned".

It also said the former officer's treatment of the women had been "specifically based on their sex" and his behaviour was likely to undermine public confidence in the police.

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