Misconduct hearing outcome for former Police Constable Kenneth Fricker
A former Leicestershire police constable has been found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour.
An accelerated misconduct hearing held this week, which was chaired by Chief Constable Rob Nixon, found that on 14 October 2022, former PC Kenneth Fricker breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely duties and responsibilities; orders and instructions; honesty and integrity; and discreditable conduct.
Former PC Fricker was flying a force drone and, due to his handling, it crashed. Following this, former PC Fricker did not follow the correct procedure for reporting the damage to the drone and was subsequently dishonest in details given to fellow officers.
The hearing found that the actions of former PC Fricker amounted to gross misconduct and that had he still been employed in the force, he would have been dismissed without notice.
Chief Constable Nixon said: “The actions of former PC Fricker fell below the standards which are expected of police officers and amounted to gross misconduct.
“His actions undermined the relationship and trust with his colleagues and compromised the integrity of records. This placed a fellow drone pilot in a situation where they may have needed to deploy a drone with undisclosed damage.
“While I accept the actions of former PC Fricker were motivated in order to cover up a mistake and avoid criticism, it is rightly expected that an officer would tell the truth from the outset, irrespective of the circumstances.
“Former PC Fricker has admitted his actions and apologised for this and I feel disappointed to lose an officer of former PC Fricker’s experience.
“As I have previously stated, building and maintaining trust and confidence in our force remains a priority and we will continue to challenge any unacceptable behaviour which does not meet the professional standards which are rightly expected from us.”
