Gerard Hutchings, 48, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to 10 counts of misconduct in a public office.

The case against Hutchings was described by the prosecution as centring on his 'misuse of power and the enjoyment of the misuse of power over young men in police custody'.

Former inspector Hutchings, who worked at Waterlooville in the 1990s, was in charge of New Forest policing at the time of the offences.

Brighton Crown Court had heard that Hutchings ordered a boy to strip and bend over in front of him during a caution at a police station.

At the sentencing hearing, Hutchings was also given an anti-social behaviour order prohibiting him from working with or having contact with young people under 18 in an unsupervised capacity.

He denied 10 counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and a sexual assault charge, which was accepted by the Crown. The order will take effect once he has been released from prison.

Hutchings had 27 years' experience in the force and had worked in Portsmouth earlier in his career. He also worked in Basingstoke, at Winchester police HQ, Aldershot, Totton and Yateley.

Judge Cedric Joseph told him: 'What you did was a gross breach of trust, it was degrading and humiliating and frightening for some of them at least. Whatever they had done wrong when they came to be reprimanded or cautioned did not justify being treated with a lack of respect which you showed to them.'

After the sentencing, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Readhead, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: 'The allegations against Mr Hutchings came to light in July 2007 and were immediately investigated by officers from our Professional Standards Department. As a result and following a disciplinary hearing, he was dismissed with immediate effect in August 2007 by Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan.

'Mr Hutching's abhorrent actions as an inspector are a disgrace to the uniform worn by all law-abiding police officers. His behaviour is totally untypical of those serving with Hampshire Constabulary and falls far short of the high standards we exact from our staff. I have personally visited the victims at their homes to apologise on behalf of the constabulary for this officer's actions.'

And he added: 'As a police service, we are committed to ensuring Hampshire and the Isle of Wight remain safe places to live. That commitment extends to police stations, where members of the public have a right to feel especially secure.'