A POLICE officer has been given a final written warning after being found to have breached standards of professional behaviour.

PC Jared Gobey, based in Bognor, faced allegations of breaching standards of  after giving a misleading account of an incident involving a distressed man.

He failed to leave a building he was in to speak to the man, putting the man and members of the public at risk and leading to an unnecessary call for backup from his colleagues.

An inaccurate report of the incident by PC Gobey created the impression that police officers and members of the public were at a greater level of harm than they were.

After a three-day misconduct hearing by an independent legally qualified chairman at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes, which concluded today, a panel gave him a final written warning for misconduct, to stay on his record for two years.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Robeson from the Professional Standards Department said: “We expect our officers to act with the utmost integrity and in accordance with the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

“The actions of the officer fell far short of these which is reflected in the findings by the panel.

“The unacceptable conduct that has been heard here will not be tolerated but this poor behaviour should not overshadow the hard work of the vast majority of our officers, staff and volunteers in the force.”