A police force is refusing to name an officer who was caught shoplifting and let off with a £90 penalty notice.
The off-duty Thames Valley officer was seen on CCTV stealing £26.75 of goods from a shop.
But the force’s Chief Constable Jason Hogg imposed reporting restrictions stopping the media identifying his officer.
This is despite Thames Valley Police regularly issuing pictures of other shoplifters they want the public to help them to name.
Former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal said: ‘An officer has been found to be dishonest and the public have a right to know who he or she is.
Last night, a Thames Valley spokesman said the officer had resigned from the force
‘We do not have secret justice in this country, nor should we.’
The shoplifting officer, who covered Milton Keynes, was due to appear before Chief Constable Hogg at an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing on September 21 at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
If it was proven that the officer committed gross misconduct, then dismissal would be justified. But the disciplinary hearing was cancelled late in the afternoon of the previous day, September 20.
Last night, a Thames Valley spokesman said the officer had resigned from the force.
He added: ‘In accordance with the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, the case was withdrawn following the resignation of the officer.’
He said the Chief Constable had concluded that it was appropriate to withhold the officer’s name.
But the force had earlier said the purpose of a public misconduct hearing was ‘to show our disciplinary system is transparent.
The off-duty Thames Valley officer was seen on CCTV stealing £26.75 of goods from a shop (file image)
‘It demonstrates that we hold officers who breach the standards of professional behaviour accountable for their actions.’
As well as the £90 fine, the shoplifting officer was banned from entering the shop again.
The Mail on Sunday has launched a campaign calling on authorities to crack down on shoplifting amid an ‘epidemic’ of thefts costing supermarkets and high street stores £1 billion a year, with a theft taking place every two seconds.
Experts say Britain is in a state of crisis with police failing to prosecute thieves. A Mail on Sunday probe found retailers spend £30 million a year on security and private ‘police forces’ after giving up on getting help from the authorities.
A survey by law firm Foot Anstey shows a fifth of Britons no longer view their high street as a safe space. More than a quarter of people say they have witnessed shoplifting in the last year.
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