Former Cleveland Police Constable learns his fate after Domestic Incident..
- teessidetoday
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The former Police Constable who featured on the Channel 5 TV Show "Inside the force" has been banned from ever re-applying to be an officer again following a Domestic Dispute which ended his career...
18th December 2025
A former Cleveland Police constable who once appeared on Channel 5’s television series Inside the Force purporting to showcase frontline policing on Teesside, has been told he would have been dismissed without notice had he not resigned before facing disciplinary action.
Former Police Constable 2747 William Douglas was the subject of an accelerated misconduct hearing under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, following a serious domestic incident that occurred on 10 September 2024. The hearing concluded this week with a finding that his conduct amounted to gross misconduct, and that dismissal would have been inevitable had he remained a serving officer final-determination.
Domestic Abuse Allegations Proven
According to the Chief Constable’s written determination, the misconduct stemmed from a domestic incident at an address on Teesside involving Mr Douglas and his former partner. The panel found that he persistently contacted her by phone and message despite receiving no response, threatened to attend her address to confront another male, and ultimately did attend the property.
The hearing accepted evidence that Mr Douglas used insulting language, refused to leave when asked, banged on windows, and was present when damage was caused to the front door of the property. A 999 call, WhatsApp messages, and physical damage to the door were all relied upon as corroborative evidence at the hearing.
Significantly, its claimed when Douglas was stopped by officers shortly after leaving the scene, Mr Douglas reportedly told one officer, “It’s me, I done it,” . He did not attend the misconduct hearing and provided no account in interview or during proceedings.
The panel found all seven allegations proven on the balance of probabilities.
“The Public Would Be Appalled”
In a damning assessment, Chief Constable Victoria Fuller ruled that the conduct amounted to discreditable behaviour of the most serious kind, stating that the trust and confidence of a right-thinking member of the public would be fundamentally undermined.
“This is domestic abuse,” the determination states, adding that the public would be “appalled that a police officer, who they would rightly expect to be preventing such behaviour, has perpetrated it.”
The ruling also placed heavy emphasis on national concerns around police-perpetrated violence against women and girls, noting that such cases attract high culpability and severe outcomes under College of Policing guidance.
Prior Final Written Warning Made Dismissal Inevitable
At the time of the incident, Its claimed Mr Douglas was already subject to a Final Written Warning, imposed in June 2024 for violence and abusive behaviour towards a detained person. As a result, dismissal without notice was the only sanction legally available following a finding of gross misconduct.
He will never be able to apply to become an officer again !
The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police made it clear that even without the prior warning, the seriousness of the conduct — described as deliberate, sustained, and highly culpable — would still have justified dismissal, with Mr Douglas will now be placed on the Police Barred List, preventing him from ever re-entering policing.
Yet Another Damaging Case for Cleveland Police
This case adds to a growing list of disciplinary hearings involving Cleveland Police officers over the past year, many of which have resulted in findings of gross misconduct, dismissals, or officers resigning ahead of proceedings.
The frequency and nature of these cases will inevitably prompt renewed scrutiny as to whether Cleveland Police’s removal from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) special measures was premature or inappropriate.
For a force that relies on policing by consent, and for victims who must be able to trust officers implicitly, the implications of yet another scandal at Teesside's publicly funded Extremist Group involving domestic abuse by a police officer are profound and cannot simply be cast away no matter how many restructures or Chief Constables come in to turn it around...
