Booze & twos
Cops rapped for alcohol offences... including drink-driving
DOZENS of police officers have been disciplined for boozy behaviour – including putting the public at risk by drink-driving.
Data disclosed to the Sunday People by forces in England and Wales show 179 cops have been punished in the last five years.
Of these, 41 were caught drunk on duty, while 138 were involved in “alcohol-related incidents” off duty. And the figures will likely be even higher, as seven of the 43 forces failed to respond to our Freedom of Information request.
The Police Federation said: “The nature of the job demands that they lead by example both in and out of the workplace.”
Among the officers who faced disciplinary action were a DCS at West Yorkshire Police sacked for gross misconduct after being convicted of drink-driving.
A PC from Surrey Police was also dismissed after vomiting in a taxi and then making off with- out paying. Also from Surrey, a PC arrested for breach of the peace after an “altercation” got a final warning.
At Essex Police a PC was sacked for crashing his car and refusing to give a breath test. And a drunk detective from South Yorkshire who resisted arrest after a domestic incident while off duty was given a final written warning.
West Mercia Police gave an off-duty sergeant a written warning for being involved in an assault while under the influence. And Suffolk Police sacked a PC for failing to stop for a colleague while drink-driving off-duty.
The Police Federation added: “These numbers reflect less than 0.2 per cent of total officers, nearly all of whom demonstrate the highest standards of personal and professional behaviour.” HE’S 76 and mightily upset by Donald Trump’s election triumph. So when Martin Sheen went for a brisk walk to get it out of his system, his stick played a major supporting role. Sheen, star of Badlands and Apocalypse Now, hiked in the sunshine in Malibu, California. He played Democratic President Jed Bartlet in TV’s The West Wing for years and is famed for backing liberal causes. To say he is unhappy at Trump’s victory is an understatement – he has called him an “emptyheaded moron”.