Sussex Police refers itself to the IOPC following sudden death of an officer
Sussex Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the sudden death of one of its officers.
Police Constable Doug Franks, 43, who served as a member of the Bognor response team, was found dead at his home in Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, on February 10.
According to a report in The Sun newspaper, his death came just days after he learnt he was under investigation for misconduct for breaching coronavirus regulations.
He had been reported for meeting a female officer in a car park to complete paperwork outside of work hours. An fixed penalty notice had been issued against him but PC Franks was told his conduct would also be scrutinised by the force professional standards department.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said: ‘The force is deeply saddened by the death of PC Franks at his home in Hampshire last Wednesday. A referral has been made to the IOPC and Sussex Police is supporting Hampshire in their investigation on behalf of HM Coroner.
“As such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further and we ask for the privacy of the family to be respected at this difficult time.”
