South Wales Police Officer quits after asking 10 year old for photos in online chat

Former Police Constable Ryan Oliver quit South Wales Police a day before a disciplinary hearing after being caught making sexual remarks and requesting photos from what he believed to be a 10 year-old child in an online chat room.

Unknown to Oliver, he was actually communicating with an undercover Police Officer.

South Wales Police held an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing chaired by Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan on Wednesday 10th November 2021 in relation to former PC Ryan Oliver.

Mr Oliver did not attend the hearing, however he was represented by a member of the police federation.

The allegation against the former officer was proven which amounted to gross misconduct and the hearing determined that the officer would have been dismissed had he still been serving.

During the hearing Chief Constable Vaughan said: “I am satisfied that the conduct admitted by the former officer was intentional, deliberate and targeted, and planned and thus has a higher degree of culpability.

“There is no hiding place for people who are determined to prey on vulnerable members of our community and breach the standards of professional behaviour expected of a police officer. It is purely by chance that this was an undercover police officer and not a perpetrator of child abuse.”

A police federation representative said the former constable regretted his actions and was sorry for the embarrassment caused to the force.

Chief Constable Vaughan however said that Mr Oliver’s real regret was that he had been caught.

Head of the South Wales Police Professional Standards Department, Chief Superintendent Danny Richards, said: “Former Police Constable Ryan Oliver has betrayed the trust of the communities he once served and has no place in policing.

“South Wales Police employs a workforce of some 5,000 and the vast majority of our staff and officers demonstrate the highest levels of conduct at all times.

“But we recognise that the actions of one officer can have a big impact on trust and confidence in policing which is why it is so important for every officer and member of staff to maintain the highest standards of integrity and professionalism at all times, whether on or off duty.

“We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and will thoroughly investigate those who fail to uphold the highest standards of professional behaviour.

“In the most serious cases where allegations have been proven, officers have been dismissed from the organisation. Referrals are also made to the College of Policing for officers to be added to the Barring List, preventing them from returning to the profession.

“It is the sort of unacceptable behaviour committed by former PC Oliver which undermines the trust that the public place in our service as well as the efforts of the vast majority of officers and staff who work hard to keep our communities safe.”