Mum wins £3.5k payout after police laugh at her sex toys during raid

The officers had to undergo reflective practice

The complainant alerted the police that a pair of her underwear was laid out on a pillow and that she had heard laughter coming from her bedroom, which left the woman feeling "disrespected", per the Independent.

An internal investigation was set in place by the Norfolk and Suffolk professional standards department, which deemed the officers' actions to be “unacceptable and unprofessional”. However, the department stressed that this was “more due to immaturity than spite”.

A spokesperson for Suffolk Police said: "A box containing sex toys was found, which was subject to comment and laughter from the officers, but at no point did they touch or play with the items.

"The underwear appeared to be moved in jest, without any thought given to the upset this could cause to the owner."

The initial raid led to the arrest of a male who lived at the address on suspicion of being involved in the supply of controlled drugs. He was later released without charge.

While the investigation concluded that there was no formal disciplinary action required, two of the officers were called to undertake reflective practice. Another officer had left the force before the complaint was even received.

As part of the reflective practice, the officers had to view the video footage of the incident and comment on how they perceived it, as well as have a professional discussion with their manager.

The police spokesperson went on to say: "It was noted that all the officers involved were very young in terms of service and still undergoing training," per the Independent.

Both officers did offer the woman an apology, along with the detective inspector leading the investigation.