A former detective inspector has been barred from policing for life after a gross misconduct hearing found he would have been dismissed today had he not already resigned from the force.

Former Detective Inspector Steve Wragg faced a number of allegations during a one-day hearing open to the public and press on Friday 11 August.

Wragg’s behaviour has been described as “deplorable” by Nottinghamshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, which built up a case against him.

Wragg resigned from the Force on February 15, 2023, after the full extent of the allegations were put before him.

An accelerated gross misconduct hearing was held at Sherwood Lodge Force HQ on Friday (August 11). The outcome had he not resigned would have been immediate dismissal.

This means he will now be on the College of Policing barred list, meaning he cannot work in policing again, which will ultimately affect any future employment opportunities.

Wragg faced a number of allegations of gross misconduct including:

• Between April 2020 to January 2022, he exchanged WhatsApp messages which were inappropriate, misogynistic, and discriminatory in content. This included details about a man who died following a drugs overdose in which he was one of the officers that attended the scene.
  
• Between April 2020 to January 2022, he failed to report, challenge, and take action against the conduct of a colleague in relation to inappropriate WhatsApp messages.
  
• In June 2021, he conspired to share material relevant to the upcoming inspector’s promotion process for which an officer was a candidate in order to provide him with an unfair advantage.

Nottinghamshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate was alerted to Wragg’s behaviour and carried out a thorough investigation.

Eight members of staff affected by Wragg’s behaviour and the deceased man’s family have been visited by PSD and kept well-informed of the investigation.

Head of Professional Standards, Detective Superintendent Hayley Williams, said: “Wragg behaved in a deplorable manner and we don’t want anyone working for our organisation that shares these opinions whether they are expressed in or outside of work.

“As soon as we were made aware of these allegations we carried out a thorough investigation and today’s result shows how seriously we take these matters as a force.

“The actions of this officer fell well below the standards expected of him by Nottinghamshire Police.

“He resigned from the force several months ago and this accelerated gross misconduct hearing has now seen him dismissed. He no longer works for Nottinghamshire Police and is on the College of Policing barred list, so he cannot work in policing ever again.

“The standards we set for our officers is extremely high and anyone who falls below that standard will be dealt with immediately.

“It is important that the public has trust and confidence in our organisation and this case shows how seriously we take our commitment in providing these values.

“The vast majority of our employees maintain the highest possible professional standards which makes it all the more important we address instances where individuals’ behaviour has fallen short of these expectations.”

Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This individual’s behaviour was abhorrent and completely unacceptable.

“This behaviour will not be tolerated and we will continue to ensure those who fall below the exceptionally high standards we set are removed from our organisation immediately.

“This type of behaviour undermines the great work of hundreds of colleagues who put their lives at risk every day to keep the public safe.”