Former Dorset Police officer determined to have committed gross misconduct
A former Dorset Police officer who engaged in inappropriate behaviour towards a member of the public, behaved in a sexualised manner to female officers and lied in a misconduct interview has been determined to have committed gross misconduct.
The hearing heard allegations that former response officer Police Constable Mark Haseman made unsolicited and unwanted contact in 2022 with a woman after attending her workplace in uniform and contacting her on social media. He faced further allegations of behaving in a sexualised and inappropriate manner towards female colleagues whilst on and off duty and lied about the status of a sexual relationship with another when questioned during a misconduct interview.
Following a public misconduct hearing at Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith, which concluded on Wednesday 24 September 2025, the panel found the allegations proven. They found he had breached the standards of professional behaviour relating to Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Discreditable Conduct, Equality and Diversity and Honesty and Integrity and had committed gross misconduct.
Former PC Haseman resigned from the Force in August 2025 and left the organisation on Friday 19 September 2025.
The panel determined that had he still been a serving police officer, he would have been dismissed immediately without notice. He will also be added to the barred list, preventing him from working again in policing.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: “Our officers are duty bound to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour and integrity at all times, including when off duty, and the public should quite rightly have confidence that when these standards fall below what is expected, swift and robust action will be taken.
“We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls by delivering ethical and inclusive policing to meet the highest professional standards and are working to create a culture where we challenge any behaviours that sit outside of our values.
“We know the vast majority of employees within the organisation are professional and do not demonstrate behaviour that has been heard in this hearing. Unfortunately, former PC Haseman did not meet these high standards.
“We are committed to investigating any unethical or unacceptable behaviour relating to a member of our organisation and I would encourage members of the public to report them to the Force so they can be thoroughly investigated.”
Anyone can report any concerns directly to Dorset Police via the Dorset Police website or by emailing complaints-misconduct@dorset.pnn.police.uk. Alternatively members of the public can contact the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) – details of which can be found via their website www.policeconduct.gov.uk or anonymously via the Crimestoppers charity online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or freephone 0800 555 111.
Members of the public can also report matters to the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service by calling 0800 085 0000 or via Crimestoppers' website to provide information you have about a serving police officer, staff member or volunteer in the UK.
A full report from the panel chair will be submitted to the Force and published on the Force website in due course. With that comes a period of time where an appeal can be considered should former PC Mark Haseman wish to do so.