Dorset Police officer stole posts to build garden table

The hearing was held at Dorset Police headquarters in Winfrith

A former police officer who stole posts from a shooting range and used them to build garden furniture has been found guilty of gross misconduct.

Former Dorset Police firearms officer Jonathan Bell took four or five stakes to build a table in 2019.

A misconduct panel heard he lied to his supervisor that they were at his home and he would return them the next day, despite knowing he had built the table.

It ruled, had he still been in the force, Mr Bell would have been sacked.

A colleague, referred to as Sergeant V, told the hearing that Mr Bell was "flustered" when he said he had taken the posts "to prop up a lean-to" between July and August 2019.

"He said the posts would be on his driveway, which was at odds with the previous account he had given and it made me think the previous account was not a truthful account.

"He then said a friend had the posts and he would arrange for the posts to be returned," he said.

The panel also heard evidence from an inspector who described visiting the constable's home.

"We went into the house and there was a big blue chunky table on a deck and it raised eyebrows," he said.

Following a two-day hearing, the panel found Mr Bell breached the force's standards of professional behaviour.

He did not attend the hearing and did not call any evidence. He has been placed on the College of Policing's barred list.

The force's chief constable Sam de Reya said: "It is unacceptable for any member of the force to take property that does not belong to them, treat it as their own and then act dishonestly."