A former GMP officer who messaged a sex worker about pricing while on duty has been barred from serving in the police. Ex-PC Wesley Bishop, who has now resigned from the force, was found to have breached professional behaviour standards with his actions deemed to have amounted to 'gross misconduct'.
GMP has not revealed the content of the conversation due to the 'graphic language' involved, but chief constable Stephen Watson told an accelerated misconduct hearing on Thursday (March 2) that the messaging amounted to 'very explicit pricing details for specific and various sexual purposes'. Bishop has admitted to sending the messages while on duty, according to the force.
Mr Watson said that the evidence does not suggest Bishop was engaging in exploitative behaviour. However, he argued that the former police constable's actions were a 'significant deviation' from what is expected from an officer.
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He said: "There is no evidence that he was deliberately seeking to exploit a vulnerable person. However, he should have known that sex workers are both vulnerable and frequently exploited.
"Mr Bishop's conduct was unwise and reckless. Mr Bishop's conduct and actions inevitably brings the profession into disrepute.
"His conduct clearly falls far below the standards that the public have every right to expect."
Mr Watson said it would not be appropriate to share the 'graphic language' of the messages publicly at the hearing. However, he confirmed that the 'specific narrative' of the conversation was 'fully captured' in the evidence considered.
Having heard the evidence, he said that, on the balance of probabilities, Bishop breached the standards of professional behaviour and this amounts to gross misconduct. He ruled that Bishop's behaviour was 'deliberate' and 'unforced'.
The chief constable explained that the core purpose of misconduct hearings is to sustain public confidence in the police. He concluded that, had Bishop not resigned from GMP, he would have faced dismissal without notice and barred.
Mr Watson ordered that former PC Bishop is added to the College of Policing barred list. This prevents Bishop from working at any police force in the country.
Bishop did not attend the hearing nor was he represented. However, the force confirmed that the former police constable was served notice of the hearing.
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