A serving Dorset Police officer has been found to have committed gross misconduct and dismissed without notice following a public misconduct hearing.
Following the hearing at Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith, which concluded on Thursday, 9 April 2026, the panel determined that Detective Inspector Mark Portelli had breached the Standard of Professional Behaviour concerning authority, respect and courtesy as well as discreditable conduct and also honesty and integrity. He will now be placed on the police barred list.
The decision was reached by considering Mark Portelli’s behaviour towards night club door staff, another member of the public and attending police officers while being off duty during the evening of 30 March into the early hours of Sunday, 31 March 2024, in Poole Hill, Bournemouth.
The panel found that Mark Portelli had abused his position as a police officer and/or a police inspector and attempted to influence the way night club door staff dealt with him and/or the altercation he had with a woman by telling them he was a police officer. He also used his rank in an attempt to influence how his colleagues of lower rank dealt with him and/or the incident that he had been involved in. Furthermore, he spoke to those officers in a challenging and/or arrogant and/or patronising manner.
During the hearing Mark Portelli took full responsibility for his behaviour on the night and said that he was embarrassed and ashamed of the language that he had used. He also accepted that his conduct at the time made the situation more difficult for his colleagues.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: “Whether on or off duty, our officers should adhere to the highest standards of behaviour and integrity at all times. The public should quite rightly have confidence that when these standards fall below what is expected, robust action will be taken.
“The way Mark Portelli treated members of the public, who were performing their duties, was unacceptable and so was his conduct as a higher-ranking officer towards his colleagues, who were trying to resolve the incident in a professional manner.
“The officers attending the incident showed courage, integrity and clear impartiality and I commend them on their actions.
“We remain absolutely committed to ensuring officers whose actions fall below the high standards we expect of them are held to account and we want to send a message that there is no place in our organisation for someone who behaves in this way.”
There are a number of ways the public can report matters. You can provide information you have about a serving police officer, staff member or volunteer in the UK to the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service, which is run by the independent charity Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 085 0000 or via the Crimestoppers’ website. If you would prefer to report matters directly to the Force, you can call 101, visit the Force website or email [email protected]. Corruption can also be reported online at www.dorset.police.uk/contact/report-police-corruption/.
