A Met officer convicted of child sex offences has been dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing.
Detective Constable Francois Olwage, attached to Specialist Operations in a non-public facing role, was jailed in April for child sex offences and police corruption.
The 52-year-old was arrested in Basingstoke, after travelling to meet someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl for sex in the town. He had been speaking with the 'girl', who was actually an undercover police officer, online.
The criminal investigation was led by Hertfordshire Constabulary, with the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) leading the misconduct investigation.
A special case hearing on Tuesday, May 17, found that DC Olwage had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct.
Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith, from the DPS, said: “DC Olwage’s conduct was proven to have brought the police service into disrepute and has damaged the trust and confidence the public should rightly be able to have in their police service.
“It is simply an unforgivable breach of trust and we are grateful to colleagues in Hertfordshire Constabulary for their diligent investigation. Because of this work, and the efforts of our professional standards investigators, this individual has been brought to justice and dismissed from the Met.
“Within the Met, there are far too many examples of people letting us down and we are undermined by those who do not uphold the values and standards rightly expected of us.
“We are clear that we do not want them in the Met and are determined to root them out.”
DC Olwage will now be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) or her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
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DC Olwage was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court on April 14 of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause / incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity (penetration), and attempting to meet a girl aged under 16 after grooming her.
He pleaded guilty to corruption or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges.
On April 27, he was sentenced to a total of five and a half years’ imprisonment, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Following DC Olwage’s arrest, the matter was referred by the Met to the IOPC.
The IOPC determined that a local investigation be carried out by the DPS, and following conviction and sentencing, an accelerated special case hearing took place.
The Met force has also said that it has "taken a number of significant steps to start real change across the organisation as part of a wide-ranging and growing plans to rebuild trust".
It added: "We commissioned an independent review by Baroness Louise Casey to examine our culture and standards of behaviour.
"Her work has begun and we have agreed she will initially focus on assessing the understanding within the service of the standards of behaviour we expect and whether we are as robust as we can be in dealing with misconduct."
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