Authorities have moved to reassure the public of their commitment to victims of sexual offences after an investigation into a serving Guernsey police officer accused of sexual offences when he was a child was formally discontinued and the officer allowed to resume work.

After a review by the Law Officers and independent external legal counsel, it was decided that the case did not meet the requirements for prosecution under the Decision to Prosecute: Code of Guidance.

The officer in question was originally arrested on 26 August, with the investigation continuing over a number of months.

Following the decision not to prosecute and the officer’s reinstatement, Guernsey’s Law Officers said a key factor was that the alleged offences were said to have taken place when the individual was approximately 12 years old, which is the current age of criminal responsibility in Guernsey.

Authorities stressed that the allegations related to events said to have occurred many years before the individual joined the police force, and said that his status as a serving officer played no part in the legal decision.

An internal police misconduct investigation has also now concluded, resulting in the immediate lifting of the officer’s suspension.

Both agencies used the update to reiterate their commitment to investigating all allegations of sexual offences and encouraged anyone affected to continue coming forward.

Read the full joint statement from Guernsey Police and the Law Officers of the Crown:

“On 26th August 2025, a serving police officer was arrested on suspicion of a historic sexual offence. As we said at the time, they were immediately suspended from duty. A thorough criminal investigation has been undertaken. The evidence in the case was referred to the Law Officers of the Crown to decide whether the matter would be subject to a criminal prosecution. 

“The Law Officers do not normally comment on individual cases, but on this occasion it is important that there is no scope for inaccuracy in understanding the process that was undertaken in reaching the decision there would be no prosecution in this matter. The Law Officers reviewed the evidence, and also passed it to external lawyers to review.  As in all cases being considered for criminal prosecution, the ‘Decision to Prosecute Code of Guidance’ (which is a public document available on the Law Officers website), was then applied and this led to the decision to take the matter no further.

“It should be noted that the alleged crimes were said to have taken place when the police officer was around 12 years age, and 12 is the current age of criminal responsibility so this was a relevant factor in the decision.  This also meant the alleged crimes were many years before he was a police officer, and the fact he is a serving police officer was not relevant to the decision made in this case. 

“The police misconduct process has also now concluded and the police officer’s suspension has been lifted in line with the decision not to prosecute.

“We’d continue to encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence, recent or historic, to come forward to police. We will thoroughly investigate all cases and rigorously pursue offenders of this nature, and it remains a priority for us as an organisation.”