Special Constable broke Covid rules and abused his housemates

A Special Constable who broke Covid rules and later acted abusive towards his housemates has been dismissed for gross misconduct following two "deeply concerning" incidents.

The Special Constable for Avon and Somerset Police was found to have breached police standards on two occasions.

The man - whose identity has not been revealed by the force due to health reasons - was found to have carried out "discreditable conduct".

He was dismissed following a misconduct hearing held in front of Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, of Wiltshire Police.

The hearing heard the first incident - on Tuesday 23 February - happened when he breached Covid regulations by having another person in his room. Then - while under the influence of drink and drugs - he was verbally abusive to his housemates.

He was arrested and given a conditional caution for using violence to gain entry to a housemate’s room.

In the second incident, he recorded himself in uniform while drunk and put a Fixed Penalty Notice on a car for a non-policing purpose.

Superintendent Jane Wigmore, head of professional standards, said: “We expect all our officers, police staff and volunteers to adhere to the highest standards at all times.

"The actions of Special Constable A were deeply concerning and there is no place in the police service for people who behave in this way."

“Sadly, these actions have the potential to reduce public confidence in policing, but it’s important to stress they in no way reflect on the vast majority of police volunteers, who selflessly give up their time to serve and protect their communities.”

The full outcome will be available on the misconduct section of Avon and Somerset Police's website when available.