TOP officers in Essex Police have roundly condemned two former police officers who have been found guilty of gross misconduct.

Former Police Sergeant Karen Brimson accessed police computer systems for personal reasons 18 times between September 2016 and August 2019 to gain information, which was mainly centred around a family member. There was no valid policing purpose for the enquiries and they breached Essex Police policy.

Previously, in 2014, she had been formally warned about accessing police information for personal reasons at a misconduct hearing and received a written warning.

A misconduct panel, led by legally qualified chair Trevor Jones, was held on Thursday 4 June. Ms Brimson had declined to answer any questions when interviewed and did not attend the hearing.

The panel found Ms Brimson had breached the standards of Honesty and Integrity; Orders and Instructions; Confidentiality; and Discreditable Conduct.

The panel decided she would have been dismissed from the force if she had not previously retired.

Ms Brimson will now be included on the College of Policing Barred List, which prevents her from returning to the police service or joining other policing bodies.

Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills said: "Our policy is clear that officers and staff should only access police information for legitimate policing reasons, not for personal reasons.

"It is crucial that the public can trust our officers and staff to use police systems containing the confidential and sensitive information entrusted to us by the public properly and for legitimate policing purposes.

"The former officer concerned had no excuse for her behaviour, having received training in relation to the appropriate use of force systems and previously being warned for similar matters."

And a former Essex Police Special Constable who shared posts on Twitter which contained offensive language has been found to have committed gross misconduct.

It was alleged that between 2018 and 2019 former Special Constable Kieren Morrison retweeted 22 posts which contained language which was offensive, discriminatory, and derogatory.

The posts were retweeted from a personal account while former SC Morrison was off duty.

He resigned as a Special Constable on 5 May 2020.

At an Essex Police accelerated misconduct hearing, held virtually on the 2 June, he was accused of breaching the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity, and Discreditable Conduct.

The Chief Constable found the allegations proven. If former SC Morrison had not already resigned, the panel stated he would have been dismissed without notice.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington said: "The public of Essex and I rightly expect the very highest standards from our officers in how they conduct themselves on or off duty. The views and language expressed in the posts retweeted by former Special Constable Kieren Morrison have absolutely no place whatsoever within Essex Police.

"They risk damaging the relationships we have with communities across the county and could discourage people from reporting crime or applying to work for us."