Female cop on barred list after engaging in "inappropriate sexual behaviour"

A former Derbyshire Constabulary female police constable has been placed on the barred list after she engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour at the workplace.

Former PC Elle Cross’ policing career stands in jeopardy after a series of allegations regarding her conduct which made colleagues feel uncomfortable were found proven and amounted to gross misconduct.

The former officer, who joined Derbyshire police in 2022, was said to have shown “an inability to distinguish right from wrong” and “poor judgement” after she made inappropriate sexual remarks and contact with male officers while on a training exercise.

A report providing details of a misconduct hearing, which was held in the week commencing March 4, said it was proven fact that former PC Cross “intentionally pushed out her bottom and made contact” with a male colleague’s groin while at a doorway.

This made the male officer feel uncomfortable “because it was sexualised behaviour, and he pushed her away twice”.

Another male officer said that “on about 10 to 15 occasions as he tried to pass through the doorway, PC Cross turned her bottom towards him and attempted to make physical contact”.

He said he felt her behaviour was very sexual and “completely inappropriate”.

The former officer denied the allegations but did not attend the misconduct hearing. The report says she felt her former colleagues “fabricated these allegations to get her into trouble”. But no reason was provided to persuade that the above officers had lied about what they experienced or saw.

It was also found proven that crude and sexual remarks were also made by PC Cross about a soft drinks bottle and a “ladybird toy” and that she stood with her legs either side of a male officer’s leg. Part of this was concluded as “sexualised, unwanted flirtatious behaviour”.

It was concluded by an independent panel that PC Cross would have been dismissed without notice had she still been serving and subsequently was placed on the police barred list. Police say her last day working at the force was on Thursday, February 29.

The report said: “The panel decided that a final written warning would not meet the purpose of the misconduct regime. Former PC Cross displayed a worrying lack of insight, poor judgement and an inability to distinguish right from wrong, which are essential qualities expected of a police officer.

“In this case, anything less than dismissal would seriously undermine public confidence in the police and would not act as a deterrent to others. The panel also found that anything short of dismissal on the nine facts of this case was likely to dissuade officers from challenging and reporting such misconduct in the future.”

Following the hearing, Deputy Chief Constable Simon Blatchly, said: “The actions of former PC Elle Cross fell well below the standards that the force, and crucially the public, expect of those tasked with protecting the communities across Derbyshire.

“The panel found that Miss Cross displayed a ‘worrying lack of insight, poor judgement and an inability to distinguish right from wrong’ – behaviours that are totally at odds with the standards that we expect of our officers.

“It is right that the staff and officers of Derbyshire Constabulary are held to the highest possible standards, and we are doing all we can to root out the small minority that have, at times, sometimes overshadowed the incredible work done by the vast majority of our hard working and dedicated staff to keep our county safe.”