A former Wiltshire Police staff member has been jailed for six months after having an "inappropriate and intimate" relationship with a man she was supervising.

Rachel Beale, 53, who lives in Oxfordshire, admitted one charge of misconduct in a public office and appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Wednesday March 30).

Beale worked as an offender manager in Wiltshire Police’s Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders Unit, when she began an "inappropriate, intimate relationship" with a male member of the public she was responsible for supervising.

The charge relates to a period of time between February and September 2020.

Beale was arrested in September 2020 when the matter was brought to the force's attention and she was immediately suspended from duty.

The matter was then referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who investigated the allegations.

Following her guilty plea last month, an internal gross misconduct hearing was held last week and ruled that she would have been dismissed from Wiltshire Police had she not previously resigned.

She has also been added to the College of Policing barred register to ensure she will not be able to work for any another police force, nor in an external vetted risk role.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: “It goes without saying that we expect the highest levels of conduct from all our officers, staff and volunteers, something which is even more important when an employee is directly involved in supervising offenders within our community.

“Rachel Beale betrayed the trust of the public, and betrayed the trust of her colleagues, when she blatantly abused her position to commit this crime. The outcome of this investigation and today’s sentence shows that there is no place in policing for someone who behaves in this way.

“She was immediately suspended from duties when this matter was brought to our attention, and, once she had pleaded guilty in court we held an internal misconduct hearing, which resulted in her being dismissed from the Force. This misconduct outcome protects the public by ensuring she is placed on the national barred list and cannot seek further work at any other police forces.”

DCC Mills added: “I want our communities across Swindon and Wiltshire to have the utmost confidence in their police force, and, although cases like this highlight the disappointing and unacceptable minority, I hope the public can see that we are committed to rooting out any kind of misconduct and taking the appropriate action.

“If any member of the public has concerns relating to the professionalism of any officer or staff member, we would urge them to contact us in confidence so we can address the concerns raised.”

The county's police and crime commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson said: ​“I'm exasperated and appalled that this is the second such sentencing of a Wilshire Police employee in a little over 24 hours, where they have abused their position of trust for their own gratification.

“Rachel Beale betrayed public trust when she began an inappropriate, intimate, relationship with a male offender she was responsible for supervising in her role within Wiltshire Police's Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) Unit.

“This will inevitably damage public confidence in policing and both the Chief Constable and I will eradicate any trace of corruption and misconduct within Wiltshire Police.

“We are both absolutely determined to ensure that public trust does not reach a place where it is irreparably broken.”

 

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