A former Essex Police officer would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned, a hearing chaired by Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington has concluded. 

Former PC Charlie Thompson was convicted of assault after a court hearing in November 2022. The incident happened in Basildon while he was on duty. 

The conviction came after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the force referring the matter to them. 

PC Thompson was removed from normal duties immediately following the referral and resigned following the court case.  

The panel chaired by Chief Constable Harrington concluded former PC Thompson had breached standards relating to discreditable conduct, use of force, courtesy and respect and orders and instructions and would have been dismissed had he not already resigned. 

He will also be added to the College of Policing's barred list. 

Chief Constable Harrington said: "Officers are well trained to use force proportionately and where necessary to deal with incidents and make arrests. They sometimes deal with violent and dangerous people and must use force to protect the public. I know that the people of Essex support us and trust us to do this.

"However, that force must always be proportionate to the threat being posed and, in this case, former PC Thompson's actions went well beyond this. As a result, he was found guilty of assault.

"There is no place in policing for him or people like him who undermine the trust of the public and the hard work of colleagues who do so much to keep the people of Essex safe."