A South Wales police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after associating with members of an organised crime group.

Former PC 6699 Aaron Phelps joined the force in 2020 despite being engaged to a woman whose brother had strong links with an organised crime group. 

Phelps was subsequently introduced to two other men, both of whom are well-known to police as they have criminal associations with the Merthyr Tydfil area.

An accelerated misconduct hearing took place last Friday when Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan considered three allegations against Phelps of breaching police standards of professional behaviour.

These comprised honesty and integrity, orders and instructions and discreditable conduct.

When questioned about his relationship with the organised crime group, Phelps originally denied knowledge of their criminal backgrounds.

In January 2020 he claimed that he and his girlfriend and broken up, however the same month the girlfriend posted images on social media of both of them together, displaying her engagement ring.

The hearing was also shown images of Phelps, his girlfriend and her brother pictured on top of Pen y Fan.

During the hearing it was said that Phelps lied because he was ‘embarassed’ and ‘terrified he’d lose his career’.

“I f***ed up.  It was as simple as that,” he said.

Commenting on his verdict, Chief Constable Vaughan said: “I’m satisfied that the misconduct was so serious that if former PC Phelps had remained a serving police officer, nothing less than his immediate dismissal would be a sufficient outcome to maintain public confidence. 

"The vast majority of the 5,500 officers and staff who work for South Wales police conduct themselves impeccably.”

Aaron Phelps has now resigned from the police force.  He has been barred from the police register.