Officer's Off-Duty Kinky Cuffs Caper Costs Him His Career

Police-issued equipment used in off-duty sexual encounter.

A former Cambridgeshire Constabulary officer who misused his police-issued equipment during an off-duty sexual encounter would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not resigned, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Former PC Benjamin Mace, 41, was found to have breached professional behaviour standards following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The misconduct hearing, held on Thursday, 5 December, concluded that his actions had been discreditable and demonstrated a lack of honesty and integrity. The former officer will now be placed on the police's barred list, preventing future employment in law enforcement.

Incident Details

The panel heard that PC Mace, who was based in Peterborough, first came into contact with the woman in October 2019 via a dating app. The pair exchanged messages for approximately four weeks before arranging to meet at her home.

When he arrived, the officer was dressed in police uniform despite being off duty and having no policing purpose for the visit. During the encounter, he used police-issue handcuffs in a consensual sexual act with the woman. These actions were deemed to have breached the standards expected of a serving officer.

PC Mace resigned from the force in October 2021, two years after the incident came to light.

Findings of the Panel

The one-day gross misconduct hearing found that the former officer's conduct violated the standards of professional behaviour related to honesty, integrity, and discreditable conduct. Despite his resignation, the panel concluded that he would have been dismissed had he still been serving.

IOPC regional director Charmaine Arbouin condemned Mace's actions, highlighting the serious impact such behaviour has on public trust in policing.

She stated: "The public have a right to expect police officers to maintain high levels of professionalism and integrity, whether on or off duty. PC Mace abused his position as a police officer and his actions are a discredit to policing and undermine the public's confidence in the service.

"While this officer has since resigned from policing, as a result of this hearing he'll be placed on the police barred list and cannot be employed as an officer in the future."

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Defending the Human Side of Policing

The recent case of former Cambridgeshire Constabulary officer PC Benjamin Mace, who was found to have used police-issue handcuffs in an off-duty encounter, has sparked a debate on the boundaries of personal life and professional standards for police officers. While the legal and professional implications of his actions have been thoroughly examined, the human element behind the uniform is often missed in the stern judgments from disciplinary panels and the public.

Police officers, like PC Mace, face the darkest corners of society on a daily basis. They are witnesses to tragedies and victims of violence and are frequently the first to encounter the aftermath of the most heinous crimes. This exposure to trauma is not just part of the job; it's an occupational hazard that leaves psychological scars, often invisible to the untrained eye.