Senior Lincolnshire Police Officer Receives Warning After CCTC Incident Inquiry
A senior officer of the Lincolnshire Police, Detective Superintendent Richard Myszczyszyn, 43, has been issued with a written warning for failing to declare a personal connection during an investigation. This investigation was to obtain CCTV footage relating to an alleged incident involving his wife.
Incident Details
The case was evaluated during an extensive week-long misconduct hearing, held at the Lincolnshire Police HQ in Nettleham. Myszczyszyn faced allegations of misleading a manager in the course of the attempt to acquire CCTV footage.
The Detective Superintendent’s wife runs a women's clothing store on Drummond Road in Skegness that they initially called Peekaboo. She operates this store in conjunction with the mother of one of Myszczyszyn's childhood friends. However, there have been escalating conflicts between the two women, leading to charges of harassment targeting the officer’s spouse.
Further stressing the situation, the officer’s wife reported receiving aggressive messages. These significantly affected her mental health over the following summer. An unexpected encounter between the business partners in a Spar shop located beside their store on September 30, 2022, appeared to only heighten the already severe tension. According to the officer’s wife, her business partner was 'circling her like a shark'.
Myszczyszyn's Actions
Off-duty at the time he identified himself as a police officer and decided to visit the Spar shop, Myszczyszyn then proceeded to request to view the CCTV footage of the alleged incident. Defending his actions, he stated that showing his warrant card implied his official capacity, irrespective of his off-duty status.
The senior officer was steadfast throughout the hearing that he intended to turn in the footage as evidence the following Monday. While technical difficulties hindered the store manager from copying the footage onto a disk, Myszczyszyn recorded the necessary segments on his phone, explaining that this was not an unusual practice for him. Quizzed about his behaviour, the officer admitted, "the crux of the matter is that I made a mistake getting that CCTV."
Defense and Repercussions
Gerry Boyle, representing Myszczyszyn, described his client as an otherwise impeccable officer primarily motivated by an urgent need to secure the CCTV footage following the alleged incident involving his wife. He stressed the event was a single lapse in an otherwise faultless professional career.
Despite denying additional alleged unauthorized usage of police systems to access personal data in 2021, Myszczyszyn was given an 18-month written warning as the panel saw evidence of genuine remorse.
Senior officer Myszczyszyn, promoted to his current rank in April 2022, will continue to serve in the force.