Nearly 30 police officers in Wales have been charged with alleged criminal offences over the past five years.
Information from Freedom of Information Act requests sent to the four forces across Wales revealed 29 officers in total – a combination of constables, sergeants and other higher-ranked officials – had been charged with offences allegedly committed while they were working for South Wales Police, North Wales Police, Dyfed-Powys Police and Gwent Police.
Crimes that officers were charged with include assault, perverting the course of justice, and possession of indecent images.
South Wales Police had the joint-highest number of officers charged. The force revealed 10 serving police officers had been charged with offences since June 2013.
In June 2013 a constable was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol on June 1 at 1.20am. They were dismissed from the force.
Months later, in August 2013, a constable was charged with two counts of sexual assault dating back to October 2010. The same constable later faced further convictions in July 2016 for two counts of rape.
Jeffrey Davies, from Aberdare, was found guilty of raping two women while working as a family liaison officer with South Wales Police between January 2002 and April 2003.
In 2013 Davies was sacked from the force after being jailed for sexually assaulting two women in 2010.
A constable was charged in March 2014 after accessing a police database for his own purpose numerous times over a 13-month period.
Nathan Cantelo, of Cwmbran, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of breaking the Data Protection Act. The breaches were only discovered during an internal audit by South Wales Police’s anti-corruption unit carried out following his arrest for assault.
They found that Cantelo had, on numerous occasions from December 3, 2010, accessed the police’s Niche computer records system for personal use.
He was also dismissed from the force following a conviction for common assault.
In October 2014 a constable was convicted of committing an act with the intention of perverting the course of justice having claimed to process an incident of drink-driving on the night of February 23, 2014, in Merthyr Tydfil, when in fact another officer had done so.
In April 2014 a sergeant and a constable were convicted of theft following a covert sting operation by South Wales Police.
Det Sgt Stephen Phillips and Det Con Jason Evans were filmed on secret cameras taking cash and biro pens planted in the sting house at a fake “crime scene”.
The officers thought they were investigating a burglar but were set up as part of “trust exercise” by suspicious police chiefs.
Phillips, 45, was jailed for 22 weeks after being caught taking £250 when he was called to a house he was told was under criminal investigation.
Evans, 43, was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison after being videoed pocketing two pens.
In August 2014 a constable was convicted of drink-driving at 2.20am on July 14, 2014 in Port Talbot. That constable was dismissed from South Wales Police.
In November 2014 a sergeant was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice to escape a speeding ticket. They were dismissed from the force.
A year later, in November 2015, a constable was convicted of theft of monies during an execution of a search warrant. They were dismissed from the force.
In April 2017 a sergeant was convicted following guilty pleas for actual bodily harm against two former partners. The incidents took place between over a decade for one victim, from 2001 to 2011, and between 2009 and 2013 for the other victim.
In August 2017 a constable was convicted for possession of extreme pornographic images found at their home address between October 2016 and January 2017.
Chief Superintendent Dorian Lloyd, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: “South Wales Police employs almost 5,000 police officers and members of staff. The overwhelming majority of our employees work tirelessly to serve their communities with honesty and integrity demonstrating the very highest levels of professional conduct at all times.
“Members of the public should be reassured that the force’s professional standards department takes any complaints or information relating to individual conduct extremely seriously and will always ensure they are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken against those responsible.
“The College of Policing has introduced a code of ethics for everyone in policing and has developed the first national barred list for those who have been dismissed for gross misconduct.
“There is no place for anyone in the service who cannot secure the confidence of their colleagues or undermines the public’s trust in policing.”
North Wales Police also had 10 officers charged with offences from August 2013 until September 2017.
On August 12, 2013, a constable was charged with drink-driving in Mold in the early hours of the morning.
In November 2013 a constable was charged with assault after an incident in July 2013 in Gwernaffield.
In March 2014 another constable was charged with an alleged historic sexual assault in Llandudno.
In 2015 a detective constable was charged with a sexual offence and he was subsequently taken to court in March 2017.
A constable was charged with a sexual offence, having indecent images, and distributing indecent images in Holywell. They appeared in court in June 2015.
In 2016 a detective sergeant was charged with three counts under the Computer Misuse Act – two in 2010 and one in 2011 – in Colwyn Bay.
In 2017 four officers from the force were charged with offences.
In January a constable was charged with drink-driving at 2.11am on January 3 in Penmaenmawr.
In September a constable was charged with harassment alleged to have been committed between July 2016 and March 2017.
On August 12 a superintendent was charged with a public order offence, criminal damage, and assault following an alleged late-night incident in Wrexham. He appeared in court on February 19, 2018.
And another constable was charged with drink-driving on September 4, 2017, in St Asaph.
Detective Inspector Tim Evans of the North Wales Police professional standards department said: “North Wales Police is an organisation consisting of approximately 3,000 police officers and staff, reflective of the community they serve.
“Day in, day out our staff work tirelessly and professionally to ensure that for those who live, work and visit, north Wales remains a safer place.
“We rightly expect the highest standards of professional behaviour, striving to embed a culture of learning and development to improve our service delivery.
“Discreditable conduct by those few individuals can have a negative impact upon the trust and confidence in North Wales Police.
“As the public would rightly expect allegations of criminal misconduct are thoroughly investigated and, where appropriate, result in criminal justice proceedings and the subsequent termination of their employment for those small number of cases.”
Gwent Police had two officers who were charged while working for the force during the time period. Both were dismissed.
One constable was charged with common assault/harassment on November 19, 2014, in Cwmbran while a detective constable was charged with a section 18 assault on March 12, 2016, in Cardiff.
A spokeswoman for the force said: “Both matters relate to off-duty conduct by the officers concerned.
“Following conviction both officers were dismissed from the force at special case hearings chaired by the Chief Constable.”
Seven Dyfed-Powys Police officers were charged with offences between 2012 and 2016 while serving in the force.
That number includes one officer in 2012, three in 2014, two in 2015, and one in 2016.
They were all male and the number was made up of four constables and three sergeants. Offences include one for criminal damage, one for possession of drugs, and two charges of voyeurism.
There was also one charge of common assault, one of harassment, and one charge for misconduct in a public office.
A spokeswoman for the force said: “Dyfed-Powys Police takes all reports of offences seriously – including those made against officers or members of staff within the force.
“Such allegations are fully investigated and where appropriate are then pursued via the criminal justice process or by means of internal misconduct procedures.”
