Police officer who pursued relationships with vulnerable women guilty of gross misconduct

A police officer who pursued inappropriate relationships with a woman feared to have suffered an overdose and another whose mother died would have been dismissed without notice had he not already retired, a watchdog has said.

PC Norman Watson, who retired from Leicestershire Police in July following more than 13 years of service, faced allegations of gross misconduct after attempting to form an inappropriate relationship with two women and having inappropriate contact with a third.

He met all of the women through the course of his duties between May 2020 and January 2021.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) received a conduct referral from Leicestershire Police in March 2021 after the force carried out a lawful business review of PC Watson’s work devices in August 2020.

The review uncovered conversations of concern between the officer and a woman he had met through his duties. Further searches identified two other women with whom it was deemed PC Watson had had inappropriate contact.

The officer - who was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation - was accused of forming an emotional and/or sexual relationship with a woman he had met following the bereavement of her mother in May 2020.

He ended messages to the woman with kisses, provided her with his personal phone number, encouraging her to use it, and informed her he wished he could have taken her in his arms on the day they first met.

PC Watson was also accused of forming an emotional and/or sexual relationship with a second woman following a concern for safety raised by her daughter due to a suspected overdose in January 2021.

When contacting the force to thank the officer, the woman was given PC Watson’s personal phone number.

Within a matter of weeks, the pair had entered into a romantic relationship.

PC Watson was also accused of accessing confidential force systems containing personal information with no policing purpose and keeping the relationship secret from his supervisors.

In relation to a third woman, PC Watson exchanged more than 300 text messages with her as part of his duties from his work mobile phone.

Seventeen of these were deemed to contain inappropriate language, including the words “hun” and “darling”.

The IOPC investigation included assessment of data from PC Watson’s work device, the forensic download of the officer’s personal device, associated police logs, the statements of two of the women involved and the interview transcript for PC Watson.

At the end of the investigation in August 2021, the watchdog found PC Watson had two separate cases of gross misconduct to answer following contact with a female and a further case of gross misconduct for accessing police systems while off duty and without a clear police purpose.

The IOPC also found a case to answer for misconduct in relation to a third woman.

At an accelerated force misconduct hearing on 16 November, this was considered to be gross misconduct when cumulatively put alongside the other matters.

PC Watson will now be placed on the police barred list.

Derrick Campbell, regional director for the IOPC, said: “Police officers are held to certain standards when it comes to their interactions with members of the public and they are expected to conduct themselves professionally.

“The abuse of police powers for purposes of sexual exploitation is a form of serious corruption. It has a devastating impact on victims, and a serious impact on the public’s confidence in individual officers and the service in general. It is important there are effective systems in place to prevent, monitor and deal swiftly with any individual who exploits that trust.

“Our independent investigation concluded that the officer in this case abused his position by actively pursuing inappropriate relationships with female members of the public. In doing so, he has breached the police standards of professional behaviour, betrayed a vulnerable woman, and has undermined public confidence in police.

“Following an accelerated gross misconduct hearing, it was determined the force would have dismissed the officer without notice, had he still been serving, which sends a clear message that such behaviour has no part in policing.”

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