Complaints against officers

[Fedster + 1,307]

Rebuffed after asking for an affair DC faces 25 counts of inappropriate behaviour.

In hot water: Detective Constable Claire Fitzpatrick serves in Gwent Police

Date - 27th February 2019
By - Hermione Wright

1 Comment

 

An officer accused of breaking wind at work, putting a claustrophobic child in a cage, and asking a colleague if he would like an affair with a “fatter, ugly, older woman” has been hauled in front of a misconduct hearing.

Detective Constable Claire Fitzpatrick is accused of 25 counts of inappropriate behaviour as part of the tirade of blue jokes which she claims were part of a “culture of banter” while working at Gwent Police.

She allegedly “spoke unprofessionally” towards colleagues and acted in a “bullying way” to officers under her command while she was working as a temporary sergeant in the summer of 2017.

The 44-year-old, who has been a detective for 12 years, is said to have “shouted” at a female officer to ask she had any cream to treat her thrush – a condition she was not suffering from at the time.

When an officer, who she met several months before, declined her offer of starting a romantic affair, she apparently said “I’ll be gentle I promise”. She insisted during the hearing at Gwent Police Headquarters on Monday the remarks were made in jest.

She is also in hot water for apparently winking at an officer and referring to him as the “Hoff”, while one of the 25 counts claims she shared details of her own intimate secrets with officers at the police station – information they claim was “unwanted”.

The officer admitted to farting on a number of occasions outside the sergeant’s office, but insists this was not a deliberate act. She would joke about her flatulence, speaking like the character Borat or using a light-hearted voice to say it was better out than in.

But her rude rants were not confined to the force’s four walls, as she once arrested a motorist, telling him he was driving like a c***. She says she apologised to the member of the public after a colleague pointed out that her language was unacceptable.

In just one of the string of accusations, she is said to have described an officer as “bonkers” and asked him to clean her boots  – something he did for the DC “on occasion”.

She allegedly refused to put on her best behaviour during a visit to a local school and is accused of not only telling a head teacher to stop talking, but also telling a young person that she was “vile”.

She is even accused of placing a child in a cage despite being told she had panic attacks in enclosed spaces.

The panel also heard officers and colleagues complained about her avid use of the c-word around Bedwas police station, but she insists it was just the nature of the place and it replaced the f-word as the curse of choice.

Gwent Police said: “As the hearing is ongoing it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”

The hearing continues tomorrow. 

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[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

Slightly off topic but I hate the Daily Mail/ Sun type of journalistic writing. The officer was ‘hauled’ before the hearing. She was invited and attended without any assistance.
Dictionary result for haul
‘verb
past tense: hauled; past participle: hauled
1. (of a person) pull or drag with effort or force.’
I bet no force or effort was used to get her there [emoji35][emoji35]

[ScotLass + 638]

She sounds like a delight.

[Hyphen + 693]

It sounds like there will be more to this and she has upset someone she shouldn’t have along the way for this to be taken all the way to gross misconduct hearings, unless of course she was spoken to/action planned etc and continued to mess up. 

She sounds horrendous however context is everything and with the scant details in the article it’s impossible to say whether she is guilty of misconduct.

Context is everything, using the C word is common place in many teams/refreshment rooms etc along with all sorts of ‘blowing off steam’. Farting is not misconduct and being a general buffoon isn’t always misconduct either. It will be interesting to see what the culture was actually like on her team.

[Radman + 2,163]

It's funny how the police changes you. 

I was 18 when I started my actual paid policing career as a PCSO PROPERLY and 20 as a PC, I was really polite and a bit quiet... 12 years later I'm one of the loudest in the office who at times can be very on the nose. 

Love this job but for 7 years I worked with old hands being the youngest in post by 23 years... Only one female officer out of 11 of us... Very surreal times.

I didn't work with anyone my own age and very much became absorbed into an older policing mindset probably far too quickly than I should have... Still it made me a very realistic Bobby. 

[David + 4,981]

@Hyphen - if you read the list of other matters, not just farting, I hardly think it's acceptable conduct from any officer. On its own, had a male officer asked a female officer to clean his boots I rather imagine it would be more than enough to be 'hauled in front of a misconduct hearing' and probably be out on his ear.

She sounds a boor and a bully and there really isn't any room for that in the workplace.

[Hyphen + 693]

2 minutes ago, David said:

@Hyphen - if you read the list of other matters, not just farting, I hardly think it's acceptable conduct from any officer. On its own, had a male officer asked a female officer to clean his boots I rather imagine it would be more than enough to be 'hauled in front of a misconduct hearing' and probably be out on his ear.

She sounds a boor and a bully and there really isn't any room for that in the workplace.

You’re probably right, still, the point stands. The context is all important in these sorts of things.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

The fact that there are 25 examples of inappropriate behaviour probably suggests that there were many more that went unreported.

 

She sounds like she has a right gob on her and has not had the self-awareness to respond to either implicit or explicit cues to wind her neck in.

 

She can hardly be surprised by the position she finds herself- well, actually, she probably is surprised because she lacks self-awareness.

 

In relation to inappropriately trying to instigate an affair with a colleague and then making further inappropriate comments after being rebuked, I do wonder how this would have been treated if it was a male Officer doing it to a female? It would probably be treated as sexual harassment and not just ‘inappropriate behaviour’.

[David + 4,981]

Actually, it sounds to me like she's trying to 'act like a man', perhaps to fit in as she sees it or thinking that's how men behave. Either way, she's failed miserably.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

Actually, it sounds to me like she's trying to 'act like a man', perhaps to fit in as she sees it or thinking that's how men behave. Either way, she's failed miserably.

She certainly acted like something that is gender-specific....

[Fedster + 1,307]

A detective who broke wind and repeatedly swore on duty has been sacked for gross misconduct.

Former Det Con Claire Fitzpatrick, 44, was fired by Gwent Police on Tuesday after 25 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were proven against her.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47626419

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

Looks like the force has blown her out.

[MajorDisaster + 579]

1 hour ago, Cathedral Bobby said:

Looks like the force has blown her out.

I don't suppose she was ever going to be 'let off'...….I'll get my coat

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

She got sacked? And there was me thinking the whole thing was just a lot of hot air.

[SD + 687]

Should’ve just got drunk, verbally abused a lower ranking officer and get her boobs out. She would’ve been fine!