PSNI officer dismissed after lost bike found at his home

The officer removed the bicycle from lost property during a night shift

A police officer has been dismissed after a bicycle worth about £500 was found at his house after it was lost by a vulnerable person.

Police ombudsman Marie Anderson said he had taken advantage of the owner and "seized an opportunity to take the bike for his personal use".

Enquiries found he removed it from police storage during a night shift.

The bike was eventually returned following a police search of the officer's home in March 2021.

Several months earlier, the officer had retrieved the bike from a local park after it had been abandoned.

He later spoke to the bike's owner, a vulnerable man who was known to police, responding to a report of concern for his safety.

The man, who was intoxicated at the time, said he had fallen off the bike and thrown it away in anger but was able to provide the make, model and colour of the bike.

Despite this, the officer refused to return the bike unless the man came to the police station when sober with proof of purchase.

The man never called back and there was no record that the officer made any further attempts to contact him or to establish the bike's ownership.

'Not credible'

The bike was eventually returned to its owner after being found at the officer's home during a police search organised after a sergeant raised concerns.

The bike's owner died a few weeks later, having made a complaint about the officer who had taken it.

When interviewed by Police Ombudsman investigators, the officer said that as the man had been unable to describe the bike's suspension or brakes he had not been satisfied that it belonged to him.

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The officer also claimed to be unaware of police procedures for lost and found property and said he had been told by a sergeant to leave the bike in the police station for a few months, and then either dispose of it or take it.

He said there had been two sergeants in the room when one stated: "If you don't take it, I'll take it home".

However, the Police Ombudsman found the officer's account to be neither reliable nor credible.

The officer refused to return the bike unless the man came to the police station with proof of purchase

She noted that he made no record of having taken it home, and that there was no other evidence that either sergeant had advised he could do that.

Mrs Anderson also said the officer was likely to have known the man would be unable to provide proof of ownership and noted that the officer already owned a bike of the same make and would have known its value.

Police Ombudsman investigators submitted a file to the PPS, which directed that the officer should not be prosecuted for theft.

This was due to a number of factors, including that the bike's owner had died and had not provided a statement before his death and because the bike could no longer be located.

The Police Ombudsman then submitted a misconduct file to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), recommending that a hearing be held.

She noted his attempt to place blame on colleagues was an aggravating factor.

The recommendation was accepted by the PSNI and the officer was subsequently dismissed for gross misconduct.

The PSNI also accepted that steps should be taken to improve the performance of one of the sergeants who had failed to provide clear instructions about what should be done with the bike.

A further recommendation was accepted that all police officers in the district should be reminded of their obligations in relation to lost and found property.