Policeman steals £2.50, resigns before being pushed out

[Retro]

Dismissing a police officer over something so petty is ridiculous. I've read many news articles where officers commit much more serious offenses and get punishments, but keep their jobs. I reckon he should have been given a written warning, made to repay the £2.50 with perhaps some "damages" and that's it.

A former police officer who stole £2.50 to pay off his tuck shop debt would have been dismissed if he had not resigned, a misconduct hearing found.

Former police constable James Tillcock, who joined Thames Valley Police in December 2022 and was based at Bicester police station, stole the money during a vehicle search on June 21.

Police officer resigns after stealing £2.50 to pay off tuck shop debt

A misconduct hearing found that a former police officer who stole £2.50 to pay off his tuck shop debt would have been dismissed if he had not resigned.

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[Retro]

@Astro What as a retired police officer, what do you think about this?

 

[Astro What]

Needed to be fired if not voluntarily leaving. But even voluntarily leaving should have had an internal affairs investigation done and it documented in case decided to try to become an officer elsewhere.
When you put on that badge, you accept that you will be held to a higher level of standards. And theft is one of the lowest forms of dishonesty, especially from someone in your custody.

 

[live627]

And then there is civil asset forfeiture... legalized highway robbery

Civil forfeiture in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Astro What]

And then there is civil asset forfeiture... legalized highway robbery

Civil forfeiture in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There ARE justifiable uses for it.
But the problem is that it is HEAVILY abused now.
There needs to be stricter guidelines for the use of it, and heavy penalties for the abuse of it.

 

[Crims]

Dismissing a police officer over something so petty is ridiculous. I've read many news articles where officers commit much more serious offenses and get punishments, but keep their jobs. I reckon he should have been given a written warning, made to repay the £2.50 with perhaps some "damages" and that's it.

I suspect this is an example of someone unknowingly perpetrating a petty act and that being used as a reason (right or wrong) to fire them. Could be the culture there, for one thing.

 

[Retro]

Well, the copper definitely knew that he was taking the money, but probably figured that since it was such a small amount that nobody would care, not even the perp that he stole it from. Fatal mistake.

Despite what Astro What said above, I still think it's too heavy handed a response. As I said, coppers have gotten away with much worse, usually brutality, so why get so high and mighty over something petty like this? Also, something that wasn't mentioned is what type of record he had, great reputation, commendations etc, or tended to get into trouble and had previous warnings, since that would affect a decision like this. It sounds like a normally good and effective officer was removed, weakening the police force and ruining his life. What a waste.

 

[Astro What]

Despite what Astro What said above, I still think it's too heavy handed a response. As I said, coppers have gotten away with much worse, usually brutality, so why get so high and mighty over something petty like this?

Because if you let the little stuff slide, it can (and usually does) grow into bigger stuff.
As I said, when you put that badge on, you agree to live to a HIGHER expectation than John Q. Citizen. And you are expected to.
In the case that was given, it was even more egregious since they stole from someone that was arrested.
What's to keep it from being $250,000 from a dope dealer that is arrested the next time? It is a very slippery slope. And odds are, there is some other underlying issues that were present. Generally something like that will get you an unpaid vacation and probation (employment related) at the least. And in some jurisdictions, that action itself is a felony based upon the very fact that he was wearing a badge.

 

[Retro]

Yeah, I can understand about the little stuff growing. I'd just like to know more details about this case to make a full judgement on it, but we're unlikely to ever find out. Again, his overall reputation and conduct before this happened matters and should be taken into account - those possible underlying issues you mention.

 

[Retro]

ppl, I've just added a poll to this thread, so please vote.

 

[Tiffany]

It's an integrity thing. If you can steal a small amount, what else are you doing but haven't been caught yet? Small amounts of stealing, a little of this and that and before you know it they are into bigger stuff. It's a gateway to more crime. Naw, bad character, shouldn't be on the force. Trust is broken.