Latest news with #PAT
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Suspended Met officer spent five years on full pay
The Metropolitan Police says Londoners "will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds" after a disciplinary process for one of its senior officers took almost five years. Cdr Julian Bennett has been dismissed from the force for a second time following a misconduct hearing. He had been suspended from duty since July 2020 after he refused to provide a sample for a drugs test. He was initially dismissed in October 2023 but he appealed to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) which ordered a new hearing on the basis the panel had ruled on allegations they were not asked to. Mr Bennett was suspended on full pay during the whole process. On Tuesday the second panel found the allegation proven against Mr Bennett at the level of gross misconduct. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the former senior officer "knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to cooperate". "I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Cdr Bennett," added Assistant Commissioner Twist. "This should have been a simple matter. Cdr Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test." He said greater use by the Met of accelerated misconduct hearings to fast-track cases where the evidence is "irrefutable" would allow the force to dismiss officers "far more quickly". "I am confident a situation like Cdr Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again," he added. The original disciplinary panel rejected a claim by Mr Bennett's former flatmate Sheila Gomes that he had used cannabis daily before breakfast. But it found that he had breached professional standards when he refused to do a drugs test. Met officers who fail vetting scheme may keep jobs Sacking of Met commander over drugs test overturned Woman who reported predatory officer blamed by Met Two further allegations at the first panel - that between 2019 and 2020, while off duty, he had smoked cannabis, and that he gave an untrue explanation for why he refused to take the drugs test - were not proven. He told the first panel he had been taking CBD (cannabidiol) to treat facial palsy and was worried the sample would come up positive for an innocent reason. Mr Bennett - who wrote a Met drugs strategy in 2017 - was found in 2023 to have breached force standards for honesty and integrity, orders and instructions and discreditable conduct and was sacked. His lawyers successfully argued that while he had always admitted refusing to provide a sample, the panel found him guilty of a lack of integrity that he had not been charged with. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a judicial review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing. Following the misconduct panel's decision and his subsequent dismissal, Mr Bennett will be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police and a number of police-related bodies. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Metropolitan Police Service
South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing. The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise 'awareness of the impact of drug misuse'. He chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
Leader Live
4 hours ago
- General
- Leader Live
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing. The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise 'awareness of the impact of drug misuse'. He chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
Rhyl Journal
4 hours ago
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing. The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise 'awareness of the impact of drug misuse'. He chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
North Wales Chronicle
4 hours ago
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing. The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise 'awareness of the impact of drug misuse'. He chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
