Delay in sacking police officer 'unacceptable'

A police officer's sacking four years after a misconduct investigation is an "unacceptable delay" which requires a change to legislation, the Police Ombudsman's Office has said.

The officer who was under investigation was on restricted duties and full pay throughout the period.

The investigation had been completed within a year, but disciplinary action had to await the outcome of court proceedings, which took three years.

The Ombudsman's Office said a fast-track procedure should be introduced to enable dismissals without any "undue delay".

The case involved the arrest of a man for suspected burglary during a search of homeless accommodation in Belfast in late 2018.

A bag of tablets was found, but neither of the two officers involved recorded the seizure in any records.

The officers claimed the drugs were disposed of in a custody suite, but they could not be found. Searches of the officers' homes and vehicles also failed to locate them.

It was then that a Police Ombudsman investigation was launched.

A forensic examination of the arresting officer's mobile phone showed communication about having made a "mistake" and that there was "not any intention of personal gain".

Both officers told investigators they thought the tablets were sleeping pills and the decision to dispose of them was an error of judgement.

In 2020, the Public Prosecution Service decided to charge the officers with misconduct in public office.

Three years later they were acquitted at trial and the matter was then picked up by the PSNI's professional standards department.

Currently, any disciplinary action must await the conclusion of criminal proceedings.

One officer resigned before internal proceedings commenced. The other was dismissed following a misconduct hearing last August.

The chief executive of the ombudsman's office, Hugh Hume, said: "Despite a timely investigation, it took more than four years for this case, which involved serious misconduct, to reach a conclusion."

He added that the current legislation does not allow his office to use a "fast-track procedure where it is clear from an early stage there is criminality or gross misconduct".

"This case unfortunately highlights the inefficiencies in the current police misconduct legislation," Mr Hume said.

"Successive police ombudsmen have recommended that the legislation is amended to allow misconduct proceedings to take place prior to criminal proceedings."

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the PSNI would support any change that makes misconduct processes more efficient.

He added: "Crucially, any changes must maintain fairness and continue to ensure justice is served."