Two police officers and a special constable dismissed

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins

Two police officers and a special constable convicted of criminal offences have been dismissed by GMP.

The hearings of Inspector Darren McKie, former PC Kerry Reeve and Special Constable Rafiq Morris took place at GMP Force Headquarters on Wednesday (22 August).

McKie, who did not attend the hearing in person, was dismissed without notice as a result of him being convicted of the murder of his wife Leanne.

McKie was sentenced to life in prison for the murder which took place in Wilmslow, Cheshire in September 2017. He will serve a minimum of 19 years before being considered for release.

Reeve, who was not in attendance, was ruled by the Chief Constable to have committed gross misconduct after being sentenced to 31 weeks in prison. She had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of encouraging the commission of criminal offences to take place.

Reeve resigned from the force prior to pleading guilty at court but new misconduct regulations allow Chief Constables to make a finding in the cases of former police officers and confirm whether or not they would have been dismissed had they not resigned.

Morris was dismissed after Chief Constable Hopkins ruled that his conviction for sending threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend’s current partner amounted to gross misconduct.

Speaking after the hearings, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “Members of the public rightly expect the highest standard of behaviour from all those who work for Greater Manchester Police but the actions and subsequent criminal convictions of these three people fell way below that expectation. 

“The breach of standards committed by Darren McKie has damaged the reputation of GMP and undermined public confidence in the police service. His appalling actions led to the tragic loss of life of a mother, daughter and serving GMP officer. The impact on Leanne’s parents and three young children will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“Her loss is still felt by her former colleagues and we will continue to provide support to them and Leanne’s loved ones should they need anything.

“Although it is incredibly disappointing as a Chief Constable to sit there and hear about the unacceptable behaviour of three people who work for your force, it is right that these special case hearings take place and people who work for the police are held accountable for their actions.

“As a result of the rulings today, Darren McKie, Kerry Reeve and Rafiq Morris will be placed on the National College of Policing barred list which will prohibit them from working for any law enforcement agency in the future.

“Finally, I would like to praise the work of GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit in identifying the behaviour of Kerry Reeve and bringing her to justice. The work of the Anti-corruption Unit is important in protecting the force from corruption and the serious implications of that for public confidence. The work of the Anti-Corruption Unit and how seriously GMP has taken this will provide the public with assurance that GMP takes corruption very seriously, works hard to prevent it and will deal with it accordingly.”