By Tony O’Riley-
A West Yorkshire police officer has been sacked after taking two packets of Jaffa Cakes from a station tuck shop without paying full price.
PC Chris Dwyer, 51, paid just 10p for the chocolate-covered treats but lied that he had paid the correct amount of £1 when challenged by a colleague.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
He was subjected to a misconduct hearing accused of breaching the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity, and discreditable conduct.
The cop was accused of changing his story when questioned about it, saying that he could not remember what coins he had placed in the charity tin at Halifax police station.
West Yorkshire Police said a female officer had emptied the charity shop cash tin at around 10pm on January 21 and left a £1 float in change.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Half an hour later, PC Dwyer allegedly took two packets of Jaffa Cakes, priced at 50p each, but only paid 5p for each pack.
The dishonesty was a shocking disgrace that showed a level of arrogance and abuse of power, for him to feel he could justify paying less than the normal price, which wasn’t even that expensive.
A spokesman said: “The cash tin was checked and it was found to contain the same denominations of coins in the cash tin but with an extra 2 x 5p coins.”
PC Dwyer, who spent nearly 25 years in the navy before joining West Yorkshire Police in 2017 and serving in Halifax, said any underpayment was a “genuine mistake”.
The lying cop was given an instant dismissal on Thursday, following a four-day misconduct hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct.
Detective Superintendent Mark Long, of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “This officer’s actions do not fit with the values of the organisation and he has been dishonest when challenged.
“It is accepted that the items involved were of a very low value but honesty and integrity is a fundamental quality of being a police employee.
“An independent legally qualified chair has found that his breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour constituted gross misconduct and he has been dismissed from the Force.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar