Female cop who took 'work boobies' pics was sacked after 'police probed her stalker'
April 16, 2026
Female cop Alisha Staves, 31, has been sacked over the images but she says she was only fired when police found the pictures while investigating her alleged stalker
A police constable has been dismissed from her post after a misconduct panel ruled that taking topless selfies while in uniform amounted to gross misconduct. The officer, Alisha Staves, 31, of the Humberside Police, has stated that the investigation which led to her dismissal was only initiated after she had reported being the victim of a months-long stalking campaign. The case raises questions about police conduct, victim support, and the scrutiny faced by officers.
The investigation that ended her ten-year career began after she reported alleged harassment by a man, which included unwanted calls, messages, and appearances at her and her mother's homes, starting in 2023. It was during the subsequent police probe into her stalking complaint that the intimate images were discovered. Ms. Staves claims the images were found not on her own phone, but on the device of her ex-partner, to whom she had sent them privately.
Two images were at the center of the misconduct hearing. One photo, taken in a storeroom at her Hull police station, showed her partially exposed breasts under a police fleece. She had sent this to her then-partner with the message, “Maybe Mrs Officer can give you a helping hand.” A second image, taken at her home, showed her partially exposed breasts under a police stab vest, with the caption, “Work boobies.” This week, a misconduct panel concluded her actions constituted gross misconduct, and she was dismissed with immediate effect.
In the aftermath of her dismissal, Ms. Staves has expressed her devastation, stating that she has been left unemployed for the first time in her adult life. She argues that her case highlights why some women, particularly female police officers, are hesitant to report crimes against them. She feels that in seeking help as a victim of stalking, she instead became the focus of an investigation that cost her the job she loved. The former officer also withdrew from the stalking case, believing the person she reported has gone unpunished while her own life has been upended.
Ms. Staves has indicated that she will not appeal the decision to dismiss her, citing a misalignment of her personal values with those of the Humberside Police. She questioned how she could, in good conscience, encourage a victim of domestic abuse to report the crime to the police, knowing her own experience. While she had hoped for a final written warning, the force ultimately decided on dismissal, a move she feels is disproportionate given the private nature of the images, which she contends would never have come to light had she not reported a crime against herself.
Source: dailystar