Officer's 'predatory' messages show 'no change'

A misconduct panel ruled the officer would have been sacked had he not resigned

"Predatory" messages sent by a male police officer to female colleagues over seven years show "nothing has changed" in policing, an expert has said.

Earlier this month, a misconduct panel ruled Rickie Wallbank would have been sacked for gross misconduct from his job as a police constable for Cumbria Constabulary, had he not resigned before the hearing.

Emma Cunningham, an expert in women in policing, said the messages, which reference sex acts and role play with handcuffs, were "disturbing" and showed a continuing "systemic pattern of misogyny".

Cumbria Constabulary said it had acted "immediately" when the report was made and it had taken steps to make its working environment safer for women.

The panel also found an allegation that Mr Wallbank placed his hands under a colleague's skirt at another colleague's wedding - which he had strongly denied - to have been proven.

During the misconduct hearing held last month, just one message exchange was read out - the one in which Mr Wallbank admitted touching his victim.

The force confirmed the incident was criminally investigated, but it did not meet the threshold for prosecution in the courts.

'Red flags'

A request by the BBC that Cumbria Constabulary published all the messages sent by Mr Wallbank to his colleagues was rejected.

The force said the decision was to avoid compromising the anonymity of witnesses.

Instead, it published a report containing chunks of 22 different messages sent to the female officers between 2016 and 2023.

In them, Mr Wallbank used foul language to express sexual interest in them and some of the messages are too graphic to be published.

One read: "Would I get away with sneaky boobs feel too? I would love a play with them."

In another he told a colleague: "I was gona pin you down in handcuffs too!!!"

Another said: "I wish I could be with you wen taking your kit off!!!"

Cumbria Constabulary said it would highlight the case internally

Dr Cunningham, a senior lecturer at the University of East London, is also the author of the book Women in Policing, in which she researched misogyny suffered by female officers in the workplace.

She said the case was part of a larger pattern, with "red flags" around "predatory behaviour" also seen in the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by off-duty Met police officer Wayne Couzens, and the offences of serial rapist David Carrick, who was also an officer.

"This case is sending out a message that nothing has changed, the police still require outside experts in the field of violence against women and girls in order to take these offences seriously and to send a clear message to all officers," Dr Cunningham added.

Dr Cunningham is an expert in women in policing

Cumbria Constabulary said the force was "not complacent" and it would highlight the case internally "to ensure that every and all points of learning are taken".

A spokesperson added it had introduced a "prevent officer" role within its anti-corruption unit.

"This officer works to break down barriers to reporting inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour and promoting the challenging of such behaviour so that action can be taken at an early stage."

Harm to police reputation

The police report into Mr Wallbank's misconduct said one of the aggravating factors in his wrongdoing was that his behaviour had been "regular, repeated or sustained" and that it targeted multiple victims.

"The panel considered that the proven conduct was predatory, unwanted and highly inappropriate," it added.

The report said the 37-year-old's behaviour had caused "very serious" harm to the reputation of the police service and was "highly likely" to undermine public confidence in policing.

Mr Wallbank's actions came to light in February 2023, when a group of female officers went for a weekend in the Lake District.

He resigned in July 2024, before he could face the allegations.

A force spokesperson said senior officers considered releasing further messages together with its legal department, after the BBC's request.

"A decision has been made not to release [anything] further on the grounds we do not wish to risk compromising the anonymity of witnesses (recipients of the messages)."

Rise in cases

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC showed that in the five years to April 2023, police forces in England and Wales spent about £32.4m paying wages to officers and staff who were suspended while awaiting the outcome of misconduct proceedings of any nature.

In the 12 months to April 2023, about 706 police workers were suspended, with 432 either being dismissed or resigning before facing a hearing.

The number of suspensions and dismissals more than doubled in the five years.

The length of investigations recorded by forces varied hugely across England and Wales, with the longest investigation concluded that year taking 393 days.

In Cumbria, six police employees were suspended in 2022-23, with three either being dismissed or resigning.

Cumbria Constabulary could not provide the figure for the length of its own investigations.

A force spokesperson said it complied with all the relevant regulations regarding the suspension of officers.

The figures are based on data provided fully or partially by 34 out of 43 forces.

Some cases were still under investigation at the time the data was gathered.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this report, help and support are available at BBC Action Line.