Vetting review prompts PC who urinated in York changing room to quit

Nine changing rooms at Urban Outfitters in York had to be closed for cleaning following the incident

A police officer who kept her job after urinating in a shop's changing room has resigned after her vetting was revoked.

PC Amelia Shearer, formerly of Cleveland Police, was found guilty of gross misconduct over the incident in Urban Outfitters' York branch in 2021.

The disciplinary panel in 2022 did not recommend that PC Shearer, who was then 24, be sacked.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said officers could be subject to a review of their vetting at any time.

The review could also depend on an officer's security level, they added.

"These reviews can also take place following a misconduct sanction being imposed, or the receipt of adverse information," the force spokesperson said.

The 2022 disciplinary hearing found Middlesbrough-based PC Shearer, who had been off-duty at the time of the York incident, had lied to her bosses about what happened.

It emerged that in less than four hours, she and a friend had a bottomless brunch at a bar, downing half a bottle of prosecco and three cocktails, before having a Jack Daniels and Coke at another venue.

PC Shearer was a Cleveland Police officer based in Middlesbrough at the time of the incident

A member of staff at the York branch of Urban Outfitters gave evidence to say the officer had asked if the shop had toilets.

She was told "no", but PC Shearer immediately went into a cubicle despite having no clothes to try on.

The employee radioed for his manager and when the officer came out, they saw a pool of what smelled like urine on the floor.

PC Shearer strenuously denied urinating, but did acknowledge she and her friend were "loud and giggly".

The retailer had to close nine fitting rooms and pay £492 for professional cleaning, the disciplinary hearing was told.

The panel issued her with a final warning, lasting five years, after it concluded there was "scope for her to be rehabilitated".

At the time, the force's chief constable, Mark Webster, said PC Shearer's actions were "incompatible" with his expectations of those who served in the force.