PC 'let everyone down' over failure to respond to theft

All four officers (left to right): Jonathan Webb, Mark Higgins, Joanne Parr and Paul Birch deny breaching standards of professional behaviour

Three police officers failed to help stop a thief after being flagged down by a shop manager because they did not hear his pleas as they were gossiping about a colleague, a tribunal heard.

PC Paul Birch, 36, told a disciplinary hearing he did not hear Tesco manager David Markey requesting help from front seat passenger PC Jonathan Webb, 48.

Four PCs are subject to a misconduct hearing after allegedly declining to catch a shoplifter in Liverpool.

All four deny the claims against them.

PCs Jonathan Webb, Mark Higgins, Joanne Parr and Paul Birch were in a car last December when Mr Markey allegedly asked them to help a security guard Shaun Rigby as he grappled with a shoplifter just feet away from their vehicle.

The officers were discussing an incident at a Christmas works party before driving off, the tribunal heard.

PC Birch told the panel: "It's horrendous to think that I was that close and I could have helped someone, and I didn't. My heart sank because we didn't do what we were there to do and that is protecting the public."

He added his colleague PC Webb had "let everyone down" after claiming the officer failed to indicate there had been a request for assistance from the store manager.

The tribunal earlier heard PC Webb told Mr Markey they were "not kitted up" to help him before driving off, later claiming that Mr Markey had fabricated his story to "save his skin".

He claimed he was not asked to radio for assistance and Mr Markey called 999 for help.

During cross-examination, PC Webb accepted the principle that, as a police officer, it was his duty to give assistance and failure to do so was a serious matter.

When asked why he did not help, he said he got the impression "no offence had been committed" because of Mr Markey's demeanour and "softly spoken" voice.

He denied that Mr Markey gave any information to draw his attention to the two men in the street.

He told the hearing he did not mention the conversation to the other officers in the car because he "didn't think anything was going on".

The panel, held in Wavertree, Merseyside, has retired to considered its decision.