An Essex mother was awarded £3,500 after Suffolk Police officers laughed at her sex toys and moved her underwear during a drugs raid.
The police force received allegations from the complainant to say that a pair of underwear was laid out on a pillow and that she had heard laughter coming from her bedroom, which left the woman feeling “disrespected”.
The woman has now been awarded compensation after an internal investigation by the Norfolk and Suffolk professional standards department deemed the officers’ actions to be “unacceptable and unprofessional”. But it added that this was “more due to immaturity than spite”.
A Suffolk Police spokesperson said: “A box containing sex toys was found, which was subject to comment and laughter from the officers, but at no point do they touch or play with the items.
“The underwear appeared to be moved in jest, without any thought given for the upset this could cause to the owner.”
The raid led to the arrest of a male at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. He was later released without charge.
While the investigation concluded that no formal disciplinary action was required, two of the officers were required to undertake ‘reflective practice’. Another officer involved had left the force before the complaint was received.
The reflective practice involved viewing the video footage of the incident and commenting on how they perceived it, as well as having a professional discussion with their manager.
The force spokesperson said: “It was noted that all the officers involved were very young in terms of service and still undergoing training.”
Both officers offered the woman an apology, as did the detective inspector leading the investigation.
It comes after a separate incident last week, in which police officer Marcin Zielinski was sentenced to four months in jail after he was caught rifling through an arrested woman’s drawer and pocketing a pair of her underwear.
The footage was captured by the woman’s CCTV in September last year and shows Zielinski placing the pink underwear into his back pocket before leaving the room.
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: “Zielinski has let down the public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a whole and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
“His criminal behaviour damages the reputation of policing and represents a fundamental betrayal of the public and the values for which the police service stands.”
