Former police officer charged over child images

Jamie Bunting, 26, has been charged with three counts of making indecent images

A former police officer and cadet leader has been charged with making indecent images of children.

Jamie Bunting, 26, who was was formerly based at Kidderminster Police Station, resigned from the force earlier this year.

The charges follow an investigation which started in September 2023 by West Mercia Police’s online child sexual exploitation team and relate to non-contact offences.

Mr Bunting, a former cadet leader for North Worcestershire Volunteer Police Cadets, faces three charges and will appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the police force said: "West Mercia Police works closely with the National Volunteer Police Cadet Safeguarding and Standards hub and the force strictly adheres to policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding volunteer police cadets.

"We do not believe this has been compromised."

The force added a charge of making indecent images can include downloading an image from a website, receiving an image from a social media app or opening an email containing such an image.