The newly promoted Detective Sergeant – whose name was anonymised – was on duty on June 30, 2022 when he was caught sleeping in the station “having drunk a large quantity of alcohol”.

A breathalyser test revealed 136mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which is 10 times the legal limit for police work (13mg). The officer, who had already been warned for another drinking session in April, admitted to violating professional standards but not discreditable behaviour. His representative attempted to argue that because the incident occurred inside the station, members of the public were unaffected.

But, this was rejected by the Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray who said the boozy episode was “clearly capable of bringing discredit on the police service and undermining public confidence in policing”. The officer was found guilty of gross misconduct and dismissed without notice after 20 years in the force and accolades for his counter-terrorism work.