A POLICE constable has been given a final written warning after his behaviour was found to have breached professional standards.

Steven Green, who claimed to have stirred a female PSCOs cup of tea with his genitals, stood in a misconduct hearing between Monday, May 17, and Wednesday, May 19.

The disciplinary panel heard how he watched the PSCO, who cannot be named, changing in the female locker room and gave her a shoulder massage without permission.

The incidents are said to have happened between May and July 2020 and were raised to a supervising officer.

In one incident, one witness said PC Green told the police community support officer (PCSO) to "bend over a table".

The witness claims he said: “I’m a PC, you’re a PCSO, if I say bend over a table, you just do it.”

On another occasion, PC Green downloaded a picture of the junior officer from her Instagram and had it printed on a cup with the caption: "Brilliant but not perfect".

The woman, identified only as PCSO A, returned it with a note saying "thank you for the gift but no thank you".

PCSO A said: “I would have liked to use the mug as a gateway to tell him to back off but I wasn’t given that chance.

“I feel it could have been resolved.”

PC Green denied breaching the standards of professional behaviour and that his actions amounted to gross misconduct.

The panel, headed by an independent, legally-qualified chairman, found the nine allegations proven.

The incident was described as "very serious" and Green was given a final written warning.

Detective superintendent Rachel Carr, head of the force's Professional Standards Department, said: "Sussex Police expects the highest personal and professional standards of anyone who works for us and any allegations of behaviour that do not meet those standards are rigorously investigated.

“This officer’s behaviour towards his colleagues fell far short of the standards we expect at Sussex Police. They have let the public and their colleagues down.

“The police service has a national code of ethics that we expect officers and staff to abide by - including showing respect and courtesy.

"Officers and staff can be forgiven for making genuine mistakes, but this officer’s behaviour fell far below what was is expected and caused unnecessary distress to those he worked alongside.”