Former police officer guilty of gross misconduct after dishonest road traffic investigation

A former police constable has been found guilty of gross misconduct after he decided to launch an investigation into a road traffic incident he was involved in.

PC Adam Bass appeared at an accelerated misconduct hearing open to the public and the press at Force Headquarters at Sherwood Lodge on Friday 5 January.

The officer was off duty on May 6, 2022, when he was driving along Woodborough Road in one of two lanes that merged.

PC Bass pulled in front of a vehicle when the other driver sounded their horn at his manoeuvre.

PC Bass took no steps to report this incident to Nottinghamshire Police and began to commence an investigation against the driver of the vehicle on May 11.

He recorded the suspected offence as driving without due care or attention and did not mention that he was the complainant in the matter.

The officer did not consider there would be a conflict of interest in this case and he would not be able to investigate it fairly.

The driver contacted the police to make a complaint, claiming that she was “cut up” on the road and therefore sounded her horn.

It was only then that PC Bass said he was the complainant. He also told her that the incident was caught on CCTV.

However, this was not the case and CCTV was never recovered.

The investigation against the driver was examined following the complaint and the case against her dropped.

She said this incident had made her lose respect in the police.

PC Bass said he believed that the driver had committed a road traffic offence and therefore felt he had a duty to record it.

On reflection, he said “he could have and should have done things differently” and that he had been “new in service”

He apologised and said he had “reflected and learnt a lot from this.”

An accelerated gross misconduct hearing was held on January 5, chaired by the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Kate Meynell.

PC Bass resigned from the force before the hearing took place.

CC Meynell found the former officer had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in terms of honesty and integrity, duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct.

CC Meynell concluded: “Having considered all the facts available to me I find that former PC Bass at the time he commenced the investigation did not realise there was a clear and obvious conflict of interest.

“However, the conflict of interest would have been obvious to him as the investigation progressed. As such he should have sought advice from a supervisor and ceased the investigation.

“I find that he was dishonest in his conduct regarding a CCTV recording of the incident.

“Dishonesty within this organisation is completely unacceptable.

“Former PC Bass has failed to take responsibility for his actions preferring to blame others.”

“All police officers are rightfully expected to maintain the highest standards of behaviour, on and off duty, and the officer’s actions can only serve to undermine how the public trust police officers and remain confident that they will do the right thing.”

CC Meynell concluded that former PC Bass would have been dismissed had he not resigned and he will now be placed on the barred list.