Oldham DC dismissed for gross misconduct

A former Detective Constable, Matthew Scarratt, was found guilty of Gross Misconduct and placed on the College of Policing Barred List after pursuing an improper relationship with a vulnerable woman.

On February 16, 2024, at an accelerated misconduct hearing, the officer serving the Oldham Division was officially dismissed without notice from the force.

He faced allegations relating to Discreditable Conduct, Authority Respect & Courtesy, Duties & Responsibilities and Honesty & Integrity.

DC Scarratt resigned from the police force in 2023 and was not present at the accelerated misconduct hearing.

The matter for which he stood accused related to a series of incidents which started on 31 October 2021, where DC Scarratt kept in touch with a victim of crime whom he had met whilst conducting his policing duties and continued to message her whilst off-duty through social media.

The matter was found to be proven at the level of Gross Misconduct at the hearing.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Jones of GMP's Professional Standards Directorate said: "We continue to hold all of our police officers and staff to the highest standard, and former DC Scarratt fell well below what the public expects from our police officers.

“Former DC Scarratt knew his actions were entirely inappropriate but still continued to pursue an improper relationship with a vulnerable woman he met in the course of his policing duties.

“His actions were at entirely opposite end of the spectrum from how we expect our police officers to behave, and the career ramification for his behaviour is that he has forfeited the privilege of being ever able to work in policing again.

“There is no place in GMP for those who behave like former DC Scarratt, and the force remains committed to addressing misconduct of any kind, and at any rank, robustly investigating and taking action to ensure we maintain the confidence of the communities we serve."