Police officer sacked after drink/drive conviction

He crashed car and ran away

A Devon and Cornwall police officer has been sacked without notice after being convicted of drink driving.

The force held a speedy hearing I'm the case of PC Paul Woodward, who crashed his car and fled the scene in March.

He later pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court and was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £890.

Now a disciplinary hearing, chaired by acting chief constable Jim Colwell, found him to have breached standards of behaviour expected by the force, and dismissed him for gross misconduct.

In his summary, Mr Colwell said: "Allcohol is entirely inconsistent with the expectation clearly held by the public in terms of how an officer should conduct themselves.

“This is not a case of an officer making a mistake or exercising poor judgement whilst under extreme stress or provocation whilst doing their duty. PC Woodward deliberately chose to drive his vehicle on that day knowing he was not fit to do so, choosing to commit a criminal offence in the process.”

Mr Woodward's name will be added to a barred list, preventing him from working in policing or other law enforcement agencies.

Head of professional standards, superintendent Alex Doughty, said: “This officer’s actions were in no way aligned to the conduct in which police officers and staff conduct themselves day in and day out.

“We have all seen as we go about our duty that drink driving has the potential for the most serious of consequences, and we continually educate the public on the risks of driving under the influence and other fatal five causes."