A Greater Manchester Police constable who reported for duty ‘whilst under the influence of alcohol’ went on to be convicted of drink-driving.
A now-published judgement released after a misconduct hearing reveals Sophie Standing’s ‘offence came to light following the observance of being incapable whilst at work’. The force said she would have been sacked had she not already resigned.
Ms Standing, reveals the report, was convicted at Liverpool magistrates court in July last year after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle whilst over the prescribed limit of alcohol.
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She was fined £300, banned from driving for 20 months and ordered to pay court costs of £200, alongside a victim surcharge of £120. Her name will now be added to the College of Policing’s ‘Barred List’, preventing her from serving as a police officer again.
Lee Rawlinson, GMP’s Chief Resources Officer, presided over an accelerated misconduct hearing at GMP headquarters in Newton Heath. He ruled that alleged breaches of ‘discreditable conduct’ were proven and amounted to gross misconduct.
Greater Manchester Police -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Ms Standing didn’t attend the hearing but was made aware of it in advance. “It remains very powerfully the case that the principal objective in the conduct of these hearings must be to preserve public confidence in the police service,” said Mr Rawlinson in the judgement.
“I consider that Ms Standing’s culpability must be regarded as very high. She stands convicted of a criminal offence, her actions were deliberate and carried out in the full knowledge that her conduct was both patently unlawful and particularly dangerous to the public, other road users and to her colleagues.”
He said her actions ‘inevitable bring the profession into disrepute’ and ‘damages the trust’ the public have in the police. “Being on duty whilst drunk and attending incidents constitutes discreditable conduct, dereliction of duties and reporting not fit for duty,” Mr Rawlinson added. “This has a serious and significant impact on public trust and confidence.”
He went on to reference a ‘terrible lapse of judgement’ on her behalf, and said her record was taken into consideration.
But Mr Rawlinson added: “Given that Ms Standing’s offence came to light following the observance of being incapable whilst at work, it is the case that the avoidance of physical harm to the public, colleagues and other road users was given more to good fortune rather than design.
“Had Ms Standing not resigned, I would have dismissed her from the service with immediate effect.” No further details were revealed.