Birmingham student police officer harassed ex-partner on social media over five months

A former student police officer from West Midlands Police was found to have committed gross misconduct when he harassed his ex-partner using “intimidating and persistent actions”.

Before his resignation, PC Thomas Price repeatedly contacted “Ms A” on various social media platforms and “scared her”, resulting in her being “forced to change her routine on an ongoing basis.”

He was later convicted of criminally harassing her during a period of five months between April 23rd, 2022, and September 20th, 2022, Birmingham Live reports. 

The 24-year-old student received a restraining order and was ordered to undertake a 10 day rehabilitation order as well as pay a £300 fine.

Originally from Lichfield, PC Price had resigned from his position in the police force just days after his arrest and later accepted that his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct in an email to the Professional Standards Department.

It was proven at a misconduct hearing on April 3rd how the ex-officer had committed gross misconduct and he would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned.

His actions were found to have been a breach of the Authority, Respect and Courtesy Standard of Professional Behaviour, which requires officers to treat members of the public with respect whether on or off duty.

The hearing also found that his conduct had breached the Discreditable Conduct Standard of Professional Behaviour, which requires officers to behave in a manner which does not discredit the police service or undermine public confidence in it.

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In the report, Chief Constable Craig Guildford of West Midlands Police said: “On the balance of probabilities, the facts demonstrate that the gain was to his own self in terms of pursuing a relationship with his ex-partner. He is individually culpable for his actions and his culpability is high as is the level of seriousness in this case.”

The hearing found that the public would be “dismayed” by the officer’s criminal actions and the officer “knew the rules and simply ignored the law.”

The report continued to call the ex-officer’s behaviour “unacceptable”: “This is a criminal offence which brings shame upon policing and undermines lots of hard work the service is doing to build back trust of late in relation to the harassment against women and girls.

“The former student officer’s partner is a serving officer and felt so harassed by his repeated actions that she made a criminal complaint such was the level of his persistence. His repetitive actions clearly scared her, he did not stop when advised. He seriously disrespected her as an individual and as a colleague which is completely unacceptable.”

Issuing a final decision, Chf Con Guildford said: “His discreditable gross misconduct directly undermines public trust, confidence and grossly undermines the profession. Such is the level of seriousness, his individual culpability, the level of aggravation and harm that I have documented above at the level of gross misconduct, his blatant disregard for the law and lack of respect for his ex-partner, had he still been serving he would have been dismissed as there is no place in policing for those who choose to conduct themselves in such a manner.”

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