A police inspector remarked about a junior officer's breasts at a leaving do before suggesting he should "sniff" another colleague's bike seat. Simon Gee, described as a "creep" by a colleague, has been sacked by Cumbria Police after his lewd comments were described as a "throwback to a sexist or misogynistic past".
The comments were made during a night out in Lancaster, where officers were attending goodbye drinks at the Sun Hotel in September 2021. Gee, who was in charge of a Kendal-based team of Cumbria Police officers, was described as acting in a "very vulgar and coarse" way following a misconduct hearing.
The panel heard that Gee had been drinking on the train from Cumbria to Lancaster ahead of the gathering, Lancs Live reports. Having continued boozing during the evening, he told a junior officer wearing a low cut top a comment to the effect of "I see you’ve come with the boys out".
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The other officer, named only as PC A during the investigation and described as a colleague but not a friend, said she was not offended but instead flattered, while another female named as PC B said the comment led her to adjust her own top. She said she would have been embarrassed had she been on the receiving end.
While the panel accepted PC A did not suffer any distress, they said it was sexist and unacceptable behaviour, particularly when considering the power imbalance between the PC and inspector. Later on in the beer garden, Gee again made reference to the woman as he gestured towards her breasts and told two male officers - PC Craig and PC Wilding - that it was "good to see more of the people you work with".
The panel noted that although PC A did not hear the remarks, they were still highly inappropriate. "They were disrespectful to a female and in making them Insp Gee compromised his own position as a leader by making comments which were plainly sexist," it concluded.
PC B was also on the receiving end of Gee's inappropriate comments during the leaving do. He approached her outside the pub as she sat on a push bike and whispered in her ear: “Should I sniff the seat while you are sat on it or should I wait until you are off it?”
The inspector admitted doing so but refused to accept it was so serious as to warrant disciplinary action. In response, PC B had called him a creep and she also told the panel she was not offended but did say it was strange and inappropriate.
A further allegation related to another female officer, PC C, and Gee's action in placing his hand on her bare leg. It was not claimed that this was sexually motivated but argued that it was highly inappropriate as he stood up and leant past a male colleague to place his hand near her knee. The officer felt it was inappropriate and challenged him, to which he replied with words to the effect of "fair play".
A final allegation related to the use of the phrase “What time are we getting our cocks out then?” to fellow off-duty officers while in the pub. Gee attempted to explain this by saying it was a reference to the Will Ferrell movie 'Old School' but this was not supported by any of the officers' evidence.
The panel concluded that he was "not bothered, one way or the other, if members of the public heard him or not". It added: "At the very least, bar staff would have been present and would most likely have heard his remarks. His outbursts were very vulgar and course. Insp Gee, in drink, acted in a boorish manner which was far below the standard the police and his colleagues expected of him."
Although Gee apologised for his behaviour, the panel found that he continued to make excuses for it throughout his evidence, "hiding behind the reluctance of the three female officers to make complaints." They also concluded that he did not cause any actual harm, but his actions had the potential to do so and that he could hard seriously harmed efforts to make Cumbria Police a "a truly inclusive and diverse employer of choice, which strives to recruit and retain female officers or staff".
The panel wrote: "Insp Gee’s behaviour is a throwback to a sexist or misogynistic past which the Police Service and the public condemn and will not tolerate. Insp Gee’s behaviour may give the wrong impression that such behaviour is still common within the police and thereby harm its recruiting effort."
It concluded that the only anything less than dismissal would seriously undermine public trust and confidence in the police, would cause additional serious harm to the reputation of the police and would not act as a deterrent to others inclined towards similar behaviour.
After the hearing, Cumbria Constabulary’s Deputy Chief Constable Rob Carden said: “Cumbria police holds its officers to the highest standards of integrity, whether on or off duty. It is clear that this officer fell far below these standards. Whilst this incident took place when the officer was off duty, his comments and actions towards policing colleagues were inappropriate and inexcusable.
“No police officer should act in this way. The finding of gross misconduct will result not only in the officer’s dismissal from the force, but also addition to the barred list, meaning the individual will not be able to become a police officer elsewhere. I can assure the public that this officer’s actions are wholly unrepresentative of our police officers and staff, who work every day to keep people safe and in a manner which we can all be proud.
"I hope that the outcome of the misconduct proceedings will demonstrate to the public that all allegations against police officers and staff are treated with the utmost seriousness, investigated thoroughly and, where wrong-doing is found to be evidenced, significant action taken to hold them accountable. I would like to thank the panel, and in particular the independent legally qualified chair, for their thoroughness and diligence throughout this hearing.”
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