Police standards chief suspended after sexual misconduct allegations

Telegraph

17-05-2025

The head of professional standards at Dorset Police is being investigated over sexual misconduct allegations, The Telegraph can reveal.
Det Supt Ricky Dhanda took on the role after his predecessor, Paul Kessell, was forced to resign after pleading guilty to a drink driving charge.
Mr Dhanda is understood to have been brought into the force at the same time as former Chief Constable Scott Chilton, who retired last month after being accused of having relationships with two colleagues.
A spokesman for Dorset Police confirmed that Mr Dhanda was currently on restricted duties and had been served with a notice of gross misconduct.
If found guilty of gross misconduct proceedings, he faces dismissal from the force.
A spokesman for the force said: 'Dorset Police received a report in April 2025 about an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship between a serving, senior officer and a colleague.
'The allegations relate to a non-recent matter when the officer and complainant were working at another police force.
'A proactive referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) at the earliest opportunity and it has been referred back to the force for local investigation.
Restricted duties
'The officer has been placed on restricted duties to ensure the effectiveness of any investigation.'
The spokesman noted that just because a gross misconduct notice had been issued it did not mean disciplinary proceedings would necessarily follow.
They added that no criminal offences have currently been identified during the investigation.
They said: 'Dorset Police takes reports about the conduct of our officers, staff or volunteers very seriously, and we encourage people to report any concerns so that we can investigate them and take any and all appropriate action.'
Speaking to The Telegraph, a police source who served in the force for a number of years said: 'Dorset Police have bent over backwards to show they are beyond reproach when it comes to high standards, morality and values.
'They have placed misconduct matters involving junior officers in the public domain at the earliest possible opportunity.'
He said officers had been publicly humiliated, lost their careers and faced financial hardship as a result of being held to the 'very highest of standards with no margin for error'.
He added: 'It turns out that senior leaders' trust in Supt Dhanda, may have been misplaced if there is any truth to the allegations he faces.'
Not a good look
The source continued: 'This is not a good look for Dorset Police. This is the second head of their professional standards department in as many years to be suspended from duty faced with allegations of gross misconduct.'
Prior to joining Dorset Police, Mr Dhanda was employed by Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police.
While working in Hampshire he was charged with making the force the 'employer of choice for the BME (black, ethnic and minority) community', according to his LinkedIn page.
Mr Dhanda, who has been in the police for 14 years, said he was Hampshire's first Fast Track Officer.
Sources told The Telegraph that Mr Dhanda had been brought into Dorset Police by Mr Chilton.
Mr Chilton moved to Hampshire Police in 2023 but he retired last month after he too was told he was under investigation by the IOPC for two alleged workplace relationships.
The IOPC said it would continue its investigation regardless of Mr Chilton's retirement.
The allegations against Mr Chilton were first made by the former Det Chief Insp Roger Wood, who himself was found to have committed gross misconduct after striking up sexual relationships with junior police staff.
Banned from serving
Asked at his own hearing if having an affair was misconduct, it is understood that Wood, who quit while under investigation, said: 'Well the chief constable had an affair.'
That led to a mandatory referral to the police watchdog on Feb 27, a week after Wood's hearing concluded with him being banned from serving again.
Mr Dhanda's predecessor resigned as a detective superintendent at Dorset Police after pleading guilty to driving while three times the legal limit at Southampton Magistrates' Court last September.
Kessell, 45, of Stoborough, Dorset, was subsequently found guilty of gross misconduct by the force, which said he would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned.
He admitted drink driving along the A352 at Wool, near Wareham, on Aug 4 and has now been banned from driving for 25 months.
Kessell was stopped on the night of the incident and gave a breath test, with a reading of 115 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.
Prosecuting, David Finney, said Kessell was arrested after members of the public alerted police about his driving.