A Wiltshire Police officer has been dismissed for gross misconduct after allegedly sending “inappropriate and offensive” messages to colleagues.

A three-day hearing, led by an independent legally qualified chair and held at Wiltshire Police Headquarters, found that PC Frank Katus’ behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

It was found that PC Katus, a Roads Policing Officer, had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers and he will now be placed on the national barred list.

PC Katus was accused of sending “unwanted, inappropriate and offensive” messages to two police staff colleagues in January and February, 2023.

After his actions were reported, he was immediately suspended from his role and a probe into his behaviour was launched, said Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin.

He will be unable to work in policing again in the future.

DCC Dibdin added that there is no place in the force for officers who conduct themselves in a similar manner.

He said: “PC Katus’ actions fell well below the high standards of professionalism that we, and the public, expect from all police officers, staff and volunteers.

“When details of his behaviour were reported to us, he was immediately suspended from his role and an investigation commenced.

“There is no place within our organisation for anyone who conducts themselves in this inappropriate manner and PC Katus will now be placed on the national barred list which means he will not be able to work in policing in the future.”

DCC Dibdin also urged any Wiltshire Police employees to report incidents if they have concerns about a colleague.

He added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the complainants who have supported the investigation – we encourage all members of our organisation to use an anonymous reporting tool if they have concerns regarding a colleague's behaviour to help ensure we have a positive, supportive and inclusive culture for the benefit of our colleagues, and ultimately our communities we serve.”

In December, 2023, Wiltshire Police launched a new anonymous reporting system for its staff called Safe2Say.

This is a specially designed system which is designed to give staff and volunteers the ability to report any issues with the Wiltshire Police workforce.

A spokesperson for the force added: “This is a bespoke internal reporting system which is geared to giving officers, staff and volunteers the confidence to report any wrongdoing, concerns they have or intelligence surrounding our workforce.”