A senior police officer who sexually harassed five junior colleagues was posted to a unit that deals with abuse victims after avoiding the sack. The Mirror reports that West Mercia Police received a string of complaints about Detective Inspector Craig Smith for “acting inappropriately” towards female staff, including three tips from Crimestoppers.
However, despite a misconduct probe finding he had caused “physical, emotional and sexual harm”, he was let off with a final written warning and quietly transferred. He is believed to have been moved from his post in Telford, Shropshire, to a CID department in Shrewsbury, which handles a large volume of sexual abuse cases.
One victim, a detective constable who claims Smith sexually assaulted her, is taking the force to an employment tribunal. She had months off work with stress-related illnesses after reporting him.
