A former Cumbria police officer has been barred from service after falsifying records and causing “great psychological distress” to a crime victim.
PC Ellen Quinn, who joined the force as a Kendal patrol officer in 2022, resigned in August 2024 before a misconduct panel could formally dismiss her for gross misconduct. The panel found that Quinn had deliberately falsified entries to make it appear she had updated a victim when she had not. She also failed to update bail requirements for an offender, allowing conditions to lapse and placing the victim at potential risk.
Chief Constable Darren Martland said Quinn “acted dishonestly on more than one occasion.” The decision notice from Cumbria Police added that she had “deliberately constructed” records to give the impression that her victim care duties had been fulfilled and failed to respond to multiple messages from both the victim and the Crown Prosecution Service, “resulting in the course of justice being significantly delayed.”
Assistant Chief Officer Sarah Jackson said: “The former officer’s conduct has directly caused great psychological distress to the victim, their children and their extended family. Ms Quinn should have foreseen the impact of her actions but took no steps to mitigate it.”
The panel concluded that, had she remained in service, Quinn “could not be trusted to protect the public, especially those who are at most vulnerable of harm.” She did not attend the hearing and did not formally respond to the allegations, which were found proven on the balance of probabilities.
