Ex-West Mercia Police officer broke Covid rules to have 'improper relationship'

A former West Mercia Police officer has been struck off after breaking Covid rules in order to have an "improper relationship" with a vulnerable person he met through work.

During a gross misconduct hearing on May 9, it was revealed PC Mark Hidden, 42, engaged in sexual activity with the victim whilst on duty.In November 2019, Hidden, who has already resigned from the force, searched and accessed personal data on police systems without a genuine purpose.

Then, in April 2020, he breached Covid restrictions "without a genuine policing purpose" in order to pursue a relationship.Police said that between January 2020 and May 2020, he used his mobile work phone to send and receive messages of a sexual nature primarily whilst on duty.

An investigation was launched in May 2020 and he was subsequently suspended before resigning from the force in 2022.The hearing found the former PC, who was previously based in Shropshire, guilty of serious breaches of Standards of Professional Behaviour.

He has been added to the College of Policing’s Barred List banning him from working for any UK police force in the future.Deputy Chief Constable Alex Murray said: “This officer let the victim and the public down. It is simply not acceptable in any way.“Further it has seriously undermined the hard work most officers and staff carry out daily to protect people from harm.

"We make no apology that we have pursued gross misconduct procedures despite him previously resigning from the force.“It is only right the public see the actions we will take against those who have no place in policing.

"Building trust and confidence in the police service is as important now as it has ever been; the public must have confidence police officers will not abuse their position for any purpose including forming inappropriate relationships with people when they are at their most vulnerable.“This action demonstrates we are committed to improving the professionalism of West Mercia Police.

"That commitment will continue and is driven by our Chief Constable Pippa Mills.”