Police officer stole wood from firearms training to make garden furniture - then lied about it

A former Dorset Police Constable has been found guilty of gross misconduct after stealing wooden barrier posts from a training store and then lying about where they were.

Jonathan Bell took several of the police owned wooden posts, without permission, from the training centre. He used them to build garden furniture for his own garden.

He then lied about their whereabouts, telling his supervisors that the posts were at his home and that he would return them the next day - knowing that he had already used them to make the furniture.

The furniture was later was later found at his home address on Tuesday 17 September 2019.

Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, Dorset Police’s lead for professional standards, said: "Police officers in Dorset Police are expected to operate with honesty and integrity in their professional and personal lives.

"It is unacceptable for any member of the force to take property that does not belong to them, treat it as their own and then act dishonestly."

The Professional Standards Department (PSD) was made aware of the theft and an investigation was carried out.

The misconduct hearing was held on 14 and 15 February at Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith.

It found that the former Police Constable had "breached the standards of professional behaviour and was guilty of gross misconduct." 

Bell no longer works as a PC for the force, but if he had been employed by Dorset Police, he would have been dismissed.

As a result of the hearing, Bell will now be placed on the barred list administered by the College of Policing - meaning he "must not be employed or appointed into policing."

Following the hearing, Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya said: "The public quite rightly expect the highest standards of behaviour from serving police officers and staff as this is a core component of maintaining the trust of our communities."I am disappointed this individual has failed to adhere to the high standards set by the Force, and we have acted robustly to investigate the matter and deal with the misconduct. "This behaviour is not indicative of the overwhelming majority of our staff and teams out delivering quality policing day to day and there is no place in Dorset Police for this dishonest behaviour.  "If you have any concerns in respect of any member of the organisation, we encourage you to report them to Dorset Police so they can be thoroughly investigated."