Sussex Police officer who broke traffic laws to pick up friends dismissed after victimising colleague

A Sussex Police misconduct hearing which sat from April 7 to April 9 heard that PC Robert Potts, 47, believed that a colleague had reported him to the Professional Standards Department after he used a police vehicle to collect three female friends from a hotel.

PC Potts had reportedly used the marked police vehicle’s blue emergency lights while on duty in July 2022 to travel from Uckfield to Eastbourne at speed, and in contravention of various traffic regulations, to pick the women up. He then dropped each one off at various addresses before returning to Uckfield and resuming his duties. He was off duty for 90 minutes.

PC Potts’ application to the Road Policing Unit was put on hold while the PDS investigated, and he was eventually found guilty, leading to an extended final written warning which would last for three years.

The panel then heard that PC Potts had attempted to victimise his colleague, undermining their professionalism, making demeaning comments and singling them out for criticism – all in part due to their perceived involvement in the previous hearing.

This amounted to breaches of the following Standards of Professional Behaviour: Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct. The panel found four of the allegations proven and decided this amounted to gross misconduct, and the officer was dismissed without notice. He has also been added to the College of Policing barred list, which will prevent him from returning to the force.

Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, Deputy Head of Force Professional Standards said: "Policing is an incredibly challenging profession, and we ask much of our officers and staff in the discharge of their duties.

"We expect our staff to challenge where they see behaviours that are not appropriate, or are in breach of the standards, and it is entirely unacceptable that, having been rightly challenged, PC Potts victimised his colleague simply for doing what is expected, and making their role even more difficult than it already is.

"All staff are aware of the Standards of Professional Behaviour and the force remains committed to holding officers to account where they fall below the high standards the public rightly expect."