Record numbers of Lancashire Police officers dismissed and barred from force in 2024

A total of 14 officers have been barred from the profession following misconduct hearings in 2024, nearly double the number dismissed in 2023.

Last year, eight officers were barred, while another four were dismissed in 2021/22, and six in 2020/21.

Of those dismissed this year, three were dismissed while serving, six barred post-retirement and another five post-resignation.

The number shows a 75 per cent rise in the number of officers to have been dismissed from the previous year and is the highest since the figures were first recorded in 2017.

The figures for 2023-24 follow a national trend in which record numbers of officers have been added to the UK barred list. Almost 600 officers were sacked and banned from returning to policing nationwide in the year to 2024. The figure shows a 50 per cent rise from the 394 officers banned in the year to 2023.

What Lancs Police say...

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: "Lancashire Constabulary takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously as we expect the highest professional standards of honesty, professionalism and integrity from all our staff.

"We maintain a firm stance around the professional standards of behaviour of all our staff and robustly investigate any allegations of misconduct. We are only too aware of the damage misconduct can cause to public confidence in the police. Specialist officers are deployed to ensure issues involving such incidents are thoroughly investigated and resolved.

"Where misconduct is identified Lancashire Constabulary has a proven track record of intervention and removing any potential impact upon the public. Our ultimate aim is to ensure the people of Lancashire trust their police service and understand we will focus on their needs and priorities."

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James Riley

James Riley was a former Lancashire Police officer who is now serving a 16 year sentence after he attempted to murder his ex partner in a hotel in Manchester.

Emergency services were called to the Premier Inn in Brook Street, Manchester where the Lancashire officer’s ex-girlfriend, PhD student Ellie Moxham, was found unresponsive and with life threatening injuries.

Riley was arrested and later pleaded guilty to attempted murder. He was added to the College of Policing's barred list following an accelerated misconduct hearing in November 2023.

Lancashire’s Deputy Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “People will quite rightly be shocked and appalled to hear the detail of James Riley’s crime. It is utterly abhorrent that a police officer should act in this way. Lancashire Constabulary is committed to tackling all forms of domestic abuse, safeguarding victims, and holding perpetrators of domestic abuse to account for their behaviour and crimes.

"It goes without saying that we will absolutely not tolerate any evidence of domestic abuse offending by any of our officers or staff and will hold them to account both criminally and through our internal misconduct processes.

"We hope that the prompt action taken by our Professional Standards Department in dismissing this officer swiftly, prior to the conclusion of the criminal investigation, shows our commitment to tackling any allegations of this type against a serving police officer. We utterly condemn the actions of former officer James Riley, and our thoughts are with the victim and those affected by this extremely serious and concerning crime.”

Cameron Hanson

Also added to the list this year was Cameron Hanson, a response officer for Lancashire Constabulary's East Division, who shared photos from a murder scene with his wife and another colleague.

Hanson also made derogatory comments about the mother of a toddler who was alleged to have been assaulted and sent a phot of the tot to his wife Kirstie.

Joel Choudhury

Former police officer Mohammed Joel Choudhury was jailed in December after indecent images of a young girl were found on his phone during an anti-corruption investigation.

Lancashire Constabulary investigated Preston-based officer Mohammed Joel Choudhury in May 2023 and found images of the 16-year-old on his phone, alongside images of a vulnerable woman who had been a victim of crime.

Choudhury, 44, of Highbury Road East, St Annes, admitted making indecent images of a child and misconduct in a public office at Manchester Crown Court, where he was jailed for 16 months.

Det Ch Insp Pete Reil, of the force's anti-corruption unit, said Choudhury's behaviour was "completely reprehensible".

"It was not compatible with anyone who has the privilege of wearing a police uniform," he said.

The former officer was also made subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

He resigned from the force while under investigation earlier this year and was found guilty in an accelerated internal misconduct hearing in June.

The conviction means Choudhury will also be banned from working in law enforcement for life.

More officers barred in December

Another two officers were dismissed for gross misconduct and breach of standards in December.

On December 18 and 19, accelerated misconduct hearings were held in respect of former officer Braithwaite (badge no. 4885) and police constable Leyland (badge no. 3349).

Former officer Braithwaite

It was alleged that Former Police Constable 4885 Braithwaite met an ex-prisoner immediately on his release from prison and engaged in a relationship with him.

It is also alleged that Former Officer 4885 Braithwaite met him on one occasion whilst on duty and misused police systems by viewing sensitive information in relation to the ex-partner of the ex-prisoner with whom she had formed a relationship.

It is alleged the matters aforesaid amount to gross misconduct and to a breach of the Standards of Professional of Discreditable Conduct, Honesty and Integrity and Orders and Instructions.

The Chair found the conduct breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour namely Discreditable Conduct, Honesty and Integrity and Orders and Instructions and amounted to Gross Misconduct.

It was found that had Former Officer 4885 Braithwaite still have been a serving officer she would have been dismissed and her details have been included on the barred list.

Police constable Leyland

It was alleged that Police Constable 3349 Leyland used his police issue mobile phone to access three Police logs whilst off duty, without a legitimate Policing purpose.

It was also alleged that PC 3349 Leyland entered guilty pleas for 3 counts of knowingly / recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without the consent of the controller, contrary to section 170 (1)(a) and 196 (2) of the Data Protection Act 2018 and three counts of causing a computer to perform a function with intent to secure unauthorised access to a program or data held in a computer or to enable any such access to be so secured, contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Computer misuse Act 1990.

It was alleged the matters aforesaid amounted to gross misconduct and to a breach of the Standards of Professional of Confidentiality and Discreditable Conduct.

The Chair found the conduct breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour namely Discreditable Conduct and Confidentiality and amounted to Gross Misconduct. Police Constable 3349 Leyland was dismissed without notice and his details have been included on the barred list.