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Responding to the story of the PSNI officer who has been dismissed following an Ombudsman's report found a "catalogue of corruption", Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna said:
“The actions of this police officer were absolutely appalling. Their abuse of position to take advantage of a victim is truly shameful and falls far below the standards we all expect.
“The importance of the public’s trust and confidence in our police and our justice system cannot be understated. Cases like this have the real potential to damage that trust.
“That is why there must be robust, effective mechanisms in place to identify, investigate and address issues of misconduct. Such redress must be timely to be effective, so we must see greater efforts to tackle any delays in such investigations.
“I am encouraged by the fact this case was referred to the ombudsman by the chief constable and the integrity shown by the other officer in coming forward.
“For the public to have confidence in their police service, they must know that any time an officer fails to abide by the high standards we deserve, they will be appropriately punished.”