Lincolnshire Detective Superintendent Faces Misconduct Hearing Over CCTV Footage Breach
A misconduct hearing is underway for a Detective Superintendent with Lincolnshire Police who has been accused of breaching professional standards by obtaining off-duty CCTV footage. Detective Superintendent Richard Myszczyszyn, 43, faced the allegations at the Lincolnshire Police Headquarters in Nettleham on Wednesday, September 27. The key infraction involves Mr Myszczyszyn's visit to a SPAR shop in Skegness on September 30, 2022, where he is alleged to have misled staff to secure CCTV footage.
The Triggering Incident
Mr Myszczyszyn explains that his actions were a reaction to a distressing incident involving his wife at the shop. An emotionally charged Mr Myszczyszyn sought the CCTV footage to gather evidence for an alleged physical harassment case by his wife's former business partner.
"I felt I had lost control of being able to protect my family and I was really struggling with the demands of being Superintendent," shared Mr Myszczyszyn at the hearing.
The Allegations
The Detective Superintendent secured the CCTV footage without disclosing the identities of those involved, describing the situation as an "allegation of harassment". He recorded the footage on his own phone after being informed by a staff member that the hard drive was broken. Mr Myszczyszyn intended to submit the footage to Lincolnshire Police as evidence.
Police Response
Speaking on behalf of Lincolnshire Police, Ian Mullarkey stated in the hearing that using police systems for non-policing purposes could not be justified and could potentially erode public confidence in the police. Responding to this, Mr Myszczyszyn admitted his actions were a mistake but explained that his primary concern at the time was assisting his wife, who felt victimised.
Further Allegations
In addition to this incident, Mr Myszczyszyn is also facing scrutiny for allegedly accessing private information in police systems without a valid policing purpose in February and between May and July of 2021, which is seen as a contravention of Lincolnshire Police's Misuse of Police Systems policy. These claims are still being considered as the hearing continues.