Officer Sacked for False Records, Dishonesty and Unjustified Taser Use

A Sussex Police officer has been dismissed without notice after multiple allegations of gross misconduct were proven against him during a week-long hearing. Former officer PC Samuel Smith, who was based in Worthing, faced nine allegations of misconduct and gross misconduct relating to incidents between March and June 2023. The allegations included making false entries […]

A Sussex Police officer has been dismissed without notice after multiple allegations of gross misconduct were proven against him during a week-long hearing.

Former officer PC Samuel Smith, who was based in Worthing, faced nine allegations of misconduct and gross misconduct relating to incidents between March and June 2023.

The allegations included making false entries on police systems, failing to investigate crimes properly, dishonesty with supervisors and colleagues, and drawing and pointing his Taser without justification.

The misconduct hearing, which concluded on 10 November, found all but one of the allegations proven. The panel determined that the claim of making inappropriate comments about domestic abuse to a colleague was not proven.

As a result, ex-PC Smith was dismissed without notice.

Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme said:

“Honesty and integrity sit at the heart of everything we do as police officers. The public must be able to trust that we approach all situations with professionalism and decency.

Now ex-PC Smith’s catalogue of misconduct shows a complete disregard for the responsibilities of a police officer and paints a picture of someone wholly unsuited to the profession.

He has rightly been removed from duty, and I hope his behaviour does not distract from the extraordinary work carried out by the overwhelming majority of other officers in our police service.”

Under the Police (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, misconduct hearings are now chaired by a chief officer, with two Independent Panel Members appointed by the local policing body to ensure independence and impartiality from outside the force.