On-duty firearms officer 'spent hours with lover'

Firearms officer Sgt Steven Ainsworth claimed he was able to do his work at his girlfriend's house

A married firearms officer spent nearly 65 hours with his girlfriend while both were on duty, a misconduct panel has been told.

Sgt Steven Ainsworth told the hearing at Merseyside Police headquarters that he had formed an "instant connection" with a fellow officer after they met at a friend's birthday party.

The 39-year-old, who was married to a senior officer within the force's anti-corruption unit, admitted visiting the young constable's home on 15 separate shifts as the affair developed in late 2022 and early 2023.

But he denied gross misconduct or that they had had sex during any of the visits, saying instead that he had simply needed to "talk" to her for his mental health.

Sgt Ainsworth's girlfriend, granted anonymity by the misconduct panel and only referred to as Officer A, is also accused of gross misconduct, including by visiting his home on three occasions.

They are both accused of breaching professional standards around discreditable conduct, challenging improper conduct, duties and responsibilities and honesty and integrity between November 2022 and April 2023.

Sgt Ainsworth is also accused of using force systems to access data on Officer A's location. While accepting he had done so, he denied it was a "serious matter" amounting to gross misconduct.

The panel heard the force's Professional Standards Department (PSD) was tipped off about the relationship after Officer A's partner, also a serving officer, told Sgt Ainsworth's wife.

The hearing, at Merseyside Police HQ, heard the firearms department had a "macho" culture

Sgt Ainsworth, a 17-year veteran of the force, was arrested in October 2023.

He said that experience made his "world fall apart".

Matthew Holdcroft, representing Merseyside Police, told the panel: "It's obvious they should not have been doing that, and it should be obvious to police officers, incumbent as it is upon them to reflect what the public expects of them.

"Any objective person looking at that would know that's not the right thing to do."

The panel heard that part of Sgt Ainsworth's role was to be the designated Tactical Firearms Advisor to the Firearms Incident Commander (FIC) in the event of a firearms incident.

This role entailed offering advice and support on how to respond.

Supt Colin Rooney, head of the force's Matrix gun and gangs unit, and specialist firearms officer Ch Insp Chris McMullin appeared as witnesses and agreed the Tactical Firearms Advisor did not need to be in the same location as the Firearms Incident Commander.

Under questioning from Luke Ponte, representing Sgt Ainsworth, Ch Insp McMullin agreed that prior to June 2023, there was a "stigma" attached to the firearms department.

He said: "The macho side of things was definitely a historic reputation that came with the department.

"There was certainly a fear to report any mental health issue or any issue of resilience for fear of the firearms ticket being removed from the officer."

Mental health struggles

The panel heard that sergeants in the firearms department would start their shifts in the force's Operational Command Centre in Speke with tasks including arming and deploying their officers and checking the force armoury.

Sgt Ainsworth said Tactical Firearms Advisors were encouraged to not get "tied up" in other police matters such as patrols or stop-and-search so they were available in the event of a serious incident.

He claimed the reality was that there were often hours with "nothing to do" during shifts once administrative and resourcing tasks were completed, particularly during night shifts.

Sgt Ainsworth said that at the time he began an affair with Officer A he was struggling both in his marriage and with the impact of distressing high-profile incidents at work.

He described himself as a "task orientated" person who found his "head spinning" when he was not busy, and he felt he could only "calm down" by talking to Officer A.

However he said he "cared too much about his job and doing the right thing" to jeopardise it by having sex on duty.

Mr Holdcroft accused Sgt Ainsworth of lying about what went on at Officer A's home, suggesting it was not credible that he did nothing more than "kiss her on the cheek".

"Taking a step back and looking at it now, can you not see that spending hours at your girlfriend's house undermines public confidence in policing?" Mr Holdcroft asked.

Sgt Ainsworth replied: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing."

The hearing continues.