A retired Sussex Police constable has been hauled before a misconduct panel after repeatedly accessing confidential police systems for personal reasons, in a case described as a serious breach of public trust.
A retired Sussex Police officer has been found to have committed misconduct after repeatedly prying into police computer systems without a legitimate reason.
The two-day misconduct hearing, held by Sussex Police in July, heard how Retired Police Constable Steven Hargrave accessed sensitive files linked to a man known to him through his wife’s circle of friends.
Hargrave searched records on multiple occasions between July 2021 and October 2023, despite having no operational role in the investigations. The panel was told he even asked a serving colleague to stop the man on suspicion of drink-driving, though no such intelligence existed.
“He did the right thing, but in the wrong manner,” the panel concluded, ruling that his actions breached standards of Confidentiality, Orders and Instructions, and Discreditable Conduct.
The hearing also heard how Hargrave accessed details of a burglary on his own street, again without any policing purpose. When questioned, he initially claimed the search had “piqued his interest” – an explanation the panel rejected.
The panel accepted that Hargrave, who admitted many of the searches, believed he was acting to protect a vulnerable victim. But his judgment was found to have been clouded by personal involvement.
“Such behaviour undermined public confidence within Sussex Police and policing in general,” the report stated.
While the panel ruled that his conduct amounted to misconduct rather than gross misconduct, it stressed the seriousness of his actions, saying they were deliberate, repeated, and a clear abuse of trust.
Because Hargrave has already retired, no formal sanction could be imposed. However, the panel emphasised that the finding of misconduct alone was necessary to maintain public confidence in the police service.
