A senior Metropolitan Police commander has been dismissed for gross misconduct after refusing to comply with a drugs test order in 2020, following a years-long disciplinary process that has drawn criticism for delays and public cost.

Commander Julian Bennett was first dismissed in October 2023 by an independent misconduct panel after failing to provide a urine sample on July 21, 2020, when there was reasonable cause to suspect he had taken drugs. He was suspended from duty just four days later.

While the panel found one allegation proven, two others – involving claims that Bennett smoked cannabis while off-duty and gave a false explanation for his refusal – were not upheld. Following the dismissal, Bennett appealed to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT), a process overseen by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

In July 2024, the PAT quashed the dismissal, ruling that the misconduct panel had decided on a matter not included in the original allegations, and ordered a fresh hearing. Bennett remained suspended throughout.

Now, after a second misconduct hearing, a new panel has again found the central allegation proven at the level of gross misconduct. As a result, Bennett has been formally dismissed and will be placed on the Barred List maintained by the College of Policing, preventing future employment within police forces and related bodies.

“Utter Waste of Public Funds,” Says Met Assistant Commissioner

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist condemned the drawn-out process and expressed frustration at the nearly five-year duration between the incident and final dismissal.

“I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett,” said AC Twist.
“This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate.”

Twist added that Bennett had received full pay while suspended, a point he said would anger many members of the public.

“I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.”

The Metropolitan Police has acknowledged concerns over the length of the process but noted that the force was “not responsible for all the delays.”