Temporary Sergeant Mitchell Grainger has been dismissed without notice from West Midlands Police after he used his work laptop at home to search for 'sensitive information' while off duty. The accelerated misconduct hearing, held in September 2026, found that Grainger breached policing standards of professional behaviour relating to confidentiality and discreditable conduct. The panel, chaired by Julia Debenham, concluded that his actions constituted an abuse of position that could seriously undermine public confidence in policing.
Off-duty searches and inappropriate use of position
The panel heard that Grainger conducted several searches without a lawful policing purpose between October 2021 and May 2024, both while on and off duty. In 2021, he carried out targeted searches for a location using different sets of search criteria each time. On one occasion, he spent seven minutes accessing details about a robbery investigation involving a witness he knew from outside work, also viewing the associated witness statement and the arresting officer's statement.
In 2024, while off duty, he searched for an investigation related to a 'malicious wounding' just after 1.15am. He accessed a log containing personal details and a custody photograph of a suspect. Two days later, he made a targeted person search and viewed a case. On another off-duty occasion, he made a location search and viewed a screen containing 116 events for that area, selecting a location ID.
Abuse of position and public confidence concerns
The report from panel chair Julia Debenham stated: "The public would not expect friends or associates of police officers to be able to use their association to get additional access to policing services in this way. The public would be alarmed at the fact that the officer was off duty, at home and that he accessed information in the early hours of the morning." She added: "This is an abuse of position and this could seriously undermine public confidence in policing."
Grainger initially said he believed he was pursuing a legitimate policing purpose, but Ms Tedds, who presented the case, said she did not find this credible, noting: "He was a supervisor working in a sensitive unit where the management of police information was part of daily business."
Associate requests and Data Protection Act breaches
Grainger said that in 2021, he accessed force systems to establish who was the investigating officer for a robbery because an associate had information to provide to the police. For the 2024 matters, he said the same associate had been a victim of an assault and he was trying to find information for him as he was being let down by the investigation.
The report read: "The officer accepts that he is fully aware of the Data Protection Act and his responsibilities to comply with that legislation. He ought to have known that this access did not comply with his duties under that legislation." It also stated: "It is wholly inappropriate to access policing systems at the request of an associate. The officer ought to have found alternative ways to assist his associate to gain access to the information. As a supervisory officer, he would have known how to do this."
The panel noted there was no indication that any police information was shared with any third party. The report added that Grainger had continued to perform his role to a high level in the intervening period and had retained full access to police systems throughout. It described him as a very well-regarded officer who made a significant contribution to his team over the past five years.
Grainger was dismissed without notice following the accelerated misconduct hearing in September 2026.
