Chief Reporter
Devon and Cornwall Police officers have been disciplined for forging signatures on witness statements, providing false information leading to a prosecution and letting the tyres down on someone's car, new files have shown.
The misconduct hearings were among 63 cases – five of which led to officers being dismissed – held by the force over the last three years.
The list, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also includes officers who abused the force's computer system, used work cars as their own and used excessive force during arrests.
Only a handful of the cases, some of which related to complaints dating back to 2005, have previously attracted publicity with most being dealt with behind closed doors.
Conservative MP Gary Streeter said it was vital police officers maintained the "highest standards" to have the backing of the public.
"The police do have some work to do to re-establish public confidence following some of the high profile incidents, particularly with the Met," the South West Devon MP said.
"At the end of the day, we have to leave it to senior officers to decide what is the appropriate punishment, in the same way we leave it to judges in court to hand out sentences.
"I think there has been a problem in the past with a culture of whatever a police officer did, the organisation would protect them.
"I see that changing now and I am happy to back the judgment of the current crop of senior officers within Devon and Cornwall Police."
Among the most serious incidents was a constable who "conducted a sexual relationship with a prolific offender, disobeyed orders to cease and perverted the course of justice to protect them". They were "dismissed without notice" in 2008. Another constable was fined and sacked in 2007 for "abuse of authority" after receiving an unspecified criminal conviction.
Five years ago, a PC was also dismissed after being convicted of data protection offences "which were committed to pursue a course of harassment". A constable who failed to report a police accident was also sacked.
The last time the ultimate sanction was taken – against a constable for "inappropriate sexual conduct on and off duty" – was in 2009.
But eyebrows will be raised at the cases which didn't warrant dismissal, including a constable who "provided false information which led to the unwarranted prosecution of a person" in April 2007. They were fined. Another constable found to have had an "inappropriate relationship with a criminal" was handed a final written warning.
A sergeant was issued with the same punishment in March last year after being found to have "deliberately let down the car tyres of a member of the public".
The constable who, in November 2010, "forged a signature on a witness statement for convenience" was issued with a final written warning.
Among the few cases to have received media coverage was that of six officers who were accused of trying to break into a man's car to retrieve one of their mobile phones.
It was alleged that the officers tried to "jemmy" a locked car door after one of them dropped their phone in the back of the vehicle during an earlier stop and search.
The incident happened in Plymouth in October 2010.
A year later, two sergeants and two constables were given final written warnings for their role in the incident while a further two constables were handed written warnings.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "The force takes all complaints against police seriously and investigates them thoroughly depending on the nature of the complaint. The force expects the highest level of honesty, integrity and professionalism from its officers and takes all appropriate action when standards fall short.
"Policing by its very nature will inevitably result in complaints however the number of complaints of a serious nature remains relatively low."