Former GMP officer used force computer to find prostitutes

Police Constable Christopher Taylor, a member of the Rochdale-based Tactical Firearms Unit, carried out more than 700 unauthorised searches of secure information held on GMP systems between June 2017 and March 2019. The searches included information regarding family and friends, other police officers, organised crime group members and a number of sex workers.

An investigation by GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit found that between March 2018 and March 2019, PC Taylor contacted three known sex workers on a number of occasions while he was on duty. On two occasions, he met one of the women for sex when off-duty. He also met other sex workers and used their services.

PC Taylor was suspended from duty since his crimes first came to light in March 2019 when concerns were first raised about the large number of searches he was carrying out. He has since resigned from the force.

He told Liverpool Crown Court he had carried out the searches out of boredom. He pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of breaching section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Chadwick, head of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch, said: “PC Chris Taylor’s behaviour fell well below the standard rightly expected of a police officer by the public.

“He showed a blatant disregard for his role as a police officer and abused the powers afforded to him, effectively betraying the trust of the public and his fellow officers in the process.

“We take offences such as this incredibly seriously so once his offending came to light he was quickly suspended from duty and his access to any restricted information removed.

“The severity of his misconduct is reflected in the sentence passed today and I hope it will serve as a stark reminder of the consequences people will face if they abuse their position for their own gain.”