A police officer resigned after starting an “inappropriate” relationship with a domestic abuse victim he was called to help, it has emerged.

The officer who was being investigated for gross misconduct was also forced to sign a register barring him from working for other forces.

The case is one of four incidents described by Essex Police’s Professional Standards Department as being significant and high profile, in its quarterly report for April to June.

One of the officers has been arrested for disclosing information and making racist or sexist remarks, and a third is said to have accessed information and harassed an ex partner.

The Public Protection Unit has also suspended and arrested an officer for an inappropriate relationship outside of work.

All three have been suspended.

Lindsay Whitehouse, deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “It is important to note that, including police officers, PCSOs, police staff and Special Constables, almost 6,000 people work for Essex Police.

"There are hundreds of thousands of interactions between the public and the force, often in difficult circumstances, every year, and the vast majority of these are conducted with the highest professional standards.”