BTP officer dismissed from Force

A serving British Transport Police officer has been dismissed without notice from the Force today (27 May) following a public misconduct hearing.

 
Chief Inspector Paul Crouch, based in London, attended the hearing at Force Headquarters, Camden, between 23 and 27 May, where he answered allegations that he breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely authority, respect and courtesy, discreditable conduct, equality and diversity.

 

Over a ten year period, Chief Inspector Crouch:

• Made inappropriate comments to a colleague while reading about the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl.
• Made sexist and discriminatory comments about a female colleague, claiming she was promoted due to her gender and sexuality.
• On two separate occasions, made sexual and offensive comments about a senior, female colleague.  
• Kept a list of female colleagues he found attractive while working in Force Headquarters.
• Made sexually discriminatory comments to a female colleague, referring to her appearance, weight and attractiveness.
• Sexually harassed a female colleague over a ten year period, which included smelling her hair and rubbing his thighs in her presence.
• Made reference to a recruitment process being unfair because the panel was all female.
  
  

The independent panel found that his actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he has been dismissed from the force with immediate effect.

Detective Superintendent Peter Fulton, Head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Tackling inappropriate sexual behaviour is BTP’s number one priority, whether that is on the railway network or within our own workforce. Officers like Paul Crouch completely undermine our efforts and we are determined to root people like him out, because there’s absolutely no place for sexualised or discriminatory behaviour within British Transport Police.

“I would like to personally thank the colleagues who came forward and provided such compelling evidence which was crucial in holding Crouch to account. We will always support anyone who tells us about witnessing or experiencing this sort of behaviour, because without them it goes unchecked.

“Initially, the Legally Qualified Chair in this hearing ruled that Crouch’s name should be kept anonymous on the basis that he watches football at the weekend and may be subject to hostility from other fans if they found out he was a police officer. We fundamentally disagreed with this, and collected evidence to successfully appeal the Chair’s decision so we could openly report his name. It is absolutely vital that we are open, transparent, and accountable if we are to restore public confidence in policing.”