A disciplinary panel has concluded that a former officer with Gwent Police would have been sacked had he still been in service, after establishing that his actions constituted serious misconduct.

Former PC Wayne Tancock did not attend the expedited disciplinary hearing convened in Cwmbran on Tuesday, April 28, where three counts of breaching professional standards were upheld in his absence.

The inquiry commenced last June after examining police body camera recordings that captured the ex-officer making inappropriate remarks about women and employing offensive language targeting the travelling community while on duty in a patrol car.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick McLain oversaw the hearing and concluded that the behaviour amounted to serious misconduct, breaching three professional conduct standards: professional behaviour, authority, respect and courtesy, and equality and diversity.

He said the conduct demonstrated by this former officer was entirely unacceptable, and neither the force nor the public would tolerate such behaviour from police officers regardless of whether they were on or off duty.

ACC McLain stressed that communities have every right to expect officers and staff to uphold the highest standards and refrain from behaviour that damages public trust and confidence, adding that sexism, racism and discrimination would not be accepted within the force.

Gwent Police pointed out that the vast majority of its officers, staff and volunteers behave appropriately and work hard to safeguard the public, warning that those who breach standards risk undermining public confidence in policing.

Even though Tancock had already resigned by the time of the hearing, the panel’s finding means he will be entered onto the College of Policing’s barred list, preventing him from any future employment in law enforcement.

This case comes after several recent misconduct proceedings within Gwent Police, including separate hearings involving offensive communications and failures to tackle inappropriate behaviour, raising wider concerns about workplace culture and vetting procedures within the force.

Gwent Police’s Professional Standards Department confirmed it would continue examining misconduct allegations and taking action when officers fall short of the standards the public expects.