Former police officer jailed for misconduct in a public office

A former Greater Manchester police officer has been jailed after being found guilty of misconduct in a public office, unauthorised use of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) systems and perverting the course of justice.

Shamraze Arshad, 38, abused his position and began an intimate relationship with a vulnerable woman he met through his police duties.

Arshad was amongst the officers who attended the report of a suicidal woman in the early hours of 28 October 2020.

He assisted the woman, along with paramedic colleagues and she was taken to hospital, with Arshad submitting a care plan for her before going off duty.

Later that morning, whilst off duty, Arshad accessed the police log that contained her personal details.

Over the next few days, he began contacting her. At first, she assumed it was part of his job: a follow up call. He asked if he could attend her address to check on her on a number of occasions.

Soon after, he asked if she would go on a date with him, a serious breach of his professional position. The woman initially said no but he persisted and ultimately Arshad began an intimate relationship with the woman.

By April/May the woman had effectively ended the relationship she had with Arshad.

Around the same time GMP were conducting their own enquiries into the use of Arshad’s GMP-issued device.

They found that Arshad used the same police device several times, whilst off duty and for no official purposes. He searched for various sensitive material such as vehicle registration marks (VRM), incident logs and crime reports for cases he was not involved in. He even searched for the VRM for his own vehicle. He had no legitimate policing purpose to access any of that information.

They also noted the contact between the woman and Arshad on his police device.

Arshad was arrested on 19 July 2021 before being bailed with conditions including not to contact the woman in any way.

Having left the police station, Arshad went straight to the woman’s house, thankfully she was not present.

The following day he attended again, he woke her up by banging on her window, she was scared and hid in the bathroom before calling the police.

After being re-arrested, following attending the woman’s home on two occasions, he made no comment in interview.

He later claimed that the voluminous contact between him and the woman were simply him checking up on her as he was concerned for her safety. He denied having any relationship with her.

He claimed his attendance at her home when he was bailed to have no contact with her was to tell her there were no hard feelings and encourage her to tell the truth.

Following a trial that started in June last year, he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and unauthorised access to computer material.

The second trial took place at Liverpool Crown Court in June this year, where he was found guilty of misconduct in a public office on 13 June 2024.

He was sentenced on 14 June 2024 to four years in prison.

Andrew O’Gara, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “Not only did Shamraze Arshad abuse his position as a police officer by misusing the device entrusted to him, but he also went further and abused his position for his own sexual gratification.

“He targeted a vulnerable woman, who was in crisis and used his position to gain her trust and abused it in the worst way.

“The CPS worked hard with Greater Manchester Police to build a strong case that would show Arshad’s manipulative actions for the serious breach of trust they were.

“I would like to commend the victim for supporting the prosecution and hope she will be able to move forward knowing Arshad has been brought to justice.”