Shoplifting PC Dismissed

By John Stratford, 26th January 2012, 10:42

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• Northamptonshire Police

A police officer who went shoplifting has been dismissed from Northamptonshire Police for gross misconduct.

Neil Bull, 37, from Wollaston, was convicted on Thursday 5 January 2012 of three counts of shoplifting at a store in Northampton on 20 September, 5 November and 4 December 2010.

The judge at Northampton Crown Court ordered him to pay a fine of £500 for each offence and £750 costs.

Following the conviction, Bull was fast-tracked to a Special Case Hearing, a spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said.

Bull attended and was found guilty of behaviour that failed to meet the standards of behaviour expected of a police officer and was dismissed from the force, effective immediately.

Detective Superintendent Pete Windridge, Head of Professional Standards, said: "We expect the highest standards of our officers, and entrust them to uphold the principles of law.

"Occasionally there are rare cases where the actions of officers fall below the standards we expect.

"This case demonstrates that the force will thoroughly investigate and take robust action against anyone who commits a criminal offence in an open and transparent manner, as we have done in this case.

"In a case like this, we believe it is crucial that we take swift action and we hope that this will remind the public that the vast majority of officers behave with integrity, that they can have confidence in the work we do and the commitment we have to the highest standards."