Police chief who lost anti-terror files faces sack

A COUNTER-terrorism police chief who lost top-secret documents that were stolen from his car has been recommended for dismissal by a disciplinary panel.

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale of West Midlands Police has admitted misconduct after he left the files, which were never supposed to leave police premises, in a locked briefcase in the boot. The 54-year-old, who is due to retire in April, stands to lose a £215,000 pension lump sum if sacked.

Panel chairman Corinna Ferguson said yesterday that dismissal was ‘the appropriate outcome’, describing it as ‘necessary to retain public confidence and the reputation of the police’. The final decision now rests with his Chief Constable.

Mr Beale, who headed West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, discovered the documents were missing after they were left in his car for five days last May but it is not known how they were stolen. He was fined by magistrates last year after admitting a breach of the Official Secret Acts.