Chief constable 'winning the misconduct fight'

A chief constable has said recent misconduct hearings show his force is winning its corruption battle but insists it remains a minority of staff who are betraying public trust.

In March, three members of staff from Norfolk Police were found to have committed gross misconduct, including one who used "key-jamming" tactics to stop her computer from logging off, and another who admitted paying for sexual services.

Chief Constable Paul Sanford said 30 people out of a workforce of 3,000 had been dismissed from the force in the past five years.

"I know this behaviour erodes public trust and I am determined to root it out," he said.

The chief constable said the Norfolk force was one that "looks and looks and looks again" to "root" people out.

"I would be more concerned if we were an organisation not taking action. We are doing what we said we would," he said.

In March, a former detective constable was found to have used key-jamming tactics, by putting a nail varnish bottle on her keyboard, for about 20 hours across three dates between March and June 2025.

Katy Sergeant had worked in the force's child abuse investigation unit and resigned before the hearing, which was held on 3 March.

She told the panel she tried to stop her laptop from logging off and her Microsoft Teams account from "going off green", that she never left the laptop unattended, and used it to answer messages and emails while studying.

The panel concluded her behaviour amounted to misconduct and could not determine what further action it would have taken had she still been a serving officer.

An officer, referred to as Officer Y after being granted anonymity, admitted using the services of a sex worker on three separate occasions between December 2024 and February 2025.

At a misconduct hearing on 25 March, it was found the officer had accepted and paid for sexual services from massage therapists and failed to follow the National Police Chiefs' Council's Sex Work National Guidance 2023.

The guidelines state the use of sex workers is incompatible with the role of an officer and highly likely to undermine public trust.

The officer admitted to gross misconduct.

The panel concluded a final written warning, even of five years duration was not sufficient to protect the public or to deter, and the appropriate outcome was dismissal without notice.

Referring to this case, Sanford said officers could apply to have anonymity which in some circumstances is granted if it could prejudice "the justice we are trying to deliver" or if there were concerns there would be risks to the individual.

"My default position is I would name them all," he said.

"I don't want these people to have anywhere to hide; I don't want them in my organisation, but there will be certain circumstances where we have to withhold their name."

A panel on 27 March, heard former police officer Luke Ebbage, accused of domestic violence, had breached bail conditions.

It heard Ebbage was also accused of data protection breaches which resulted in his arrest on 23 December 2024.

He was released subject to bail conditions until March 2025 and was told he could not have any direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim.

He was then rearrested in July on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice and released subject to bail conditions which the force said were broken several times.

Ebbage resigned and accepted his conduct fell below standards of professional behaviour.

If he had still been an officer, it concluded he would have been dismissed.

Sanford has said there would be "more cases to follow".

On 5 May, a misconduct hearing is due to take place for an officer referred to as "Police Officer M" who is accused of unprofessional language and excessive force while transporting a detainee in a van to King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre on 23 June 2024.

Officer M is also accused of using excessive force when removing a man from his home address after arresting him on 3 October 2024.

Sanford said: "We've got crime to fight and we are doing a good job of that. Of course this gets in the way of that mission.

"I will take a bad headline every day as a better alternative to being the chief constable that does nothing."

Regarding recent crime figures, that had yet to be released publicly, he said there had been 11,000 fewer crimes in Norfolk compared to three years ago.

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