A former constable from Grimsby, named Mark Wood, has been prohibited from any future service in the police force after he attempted to initiate a romantic relationship with a suspect. At the age of 33, Wood underwent a misconduct hearing, the conclusions of which stated that, had he not already left the Humberside Police voluntarily, he would have been expelled. The hearing found that Wood violated professional norms such as misconduct, confidentiality, honesty, and integrity. Rebecca Dickinson, Detective Superintendent and the chief of professional standards, termed Wood’s behaviour as ‘entirely inappropriate’.
In May 2023, Wood interviewed a suspect who had been detained. After the interview, Wood exploited the police systems in hand to acquire the suspect’s phone number and proceeded to contact her, claiming the discussion was regarding bail conditions. This led to Wood sending personal messages and conducting calls in which he asked for her residential address and invited her on a date. The hearing in August discovered that Wood did not record these conversations nor did he inform anyone involved in the investigation, which resulted in a verdict of severe misconduct.
Wood was neither present at the hearing nor did he have any representation. Dickinson expressed that ‘Wood’s actions can be deemed a total abuse of his position, they undermined the standards we preserve at Humberside Police and threatened investigations. It is essential that we uphold the public’s trust, and we will bring to account anyone who threatens to compromise our professional standards of high integrity.’
The source of this article has been adapted from original reporting by the bbc.
