Sussex Officer in Possession of Class A, B, and C Drugs: Conduct Falls Far Below High Standards
A 28-year-old Sussex Police officer, PC Daniel Matthews, was discovered with multiple drugs, including Class A, B, and C, while off-duty. As a result, he received a caution for drug possession and was suspended from duty. Had he not resigned, Matthews would have been fired from the force.
Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner has stated that the force places high importance on integrity and upholding values, ethics, and professional standards of behavior. She expressed disappointment that Matthews’ conduct fell far below these high standards, emphasizing that every person in policing should behave impeccably. Shiner has made a commitment to continue driving out those whose conduct falls short of expected standards.
Sussex Police HQ Disciplinary Hearing Results in Matthews’ Addition to Barred List
On April 19, Matthews faced a disciplinary hearing at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes, which resulted in his addition to the police barred list. This hearing coincided with the barring of another West Sussex-based officer, PC Matthew Jukes, for downloading child pornography while on duty.
While Jukes initially denied the allegations, he later admitted to downloading the pornography in bulk and uploading it to a cloud computing service. However, Jukes failed to appear at the disciplinary hearing and will now receive only a police caution and a misconduct appeals form.
In conclusion, Sussex Police takes a tough stance on officers who fail to uphold expected standards of behavior. As evidenced by the cases of PC Daniel Matthews and PC Matthew Jukes, any conduct that falls short of these standards will not be tolerated, and those found guilty will face severe disciplinary action.
