Allegations that police officer returned drugs to suspected users during stop and searches - Avon and Somerset Police, October 2020

An IOPC investigation revealed that a police officer, who was based in North Somerset, had searched drug users, found and seized drugs and asked users for information. When information was provided, he returned some of the substances seized to the drug users, with the officer using the information provided to locate and arrest suspected drug dealers.

One less experienced colleague was told by the officer not to include anything in their notebook about drugs being seized from and returned to a drug user, which led to documents being falsified. He acknowledged to a colleague on a journey to apprehend suspected dealers that what he had done was not best practice.

We found that the officer’s actions amounted to operational dishonesty in attempting to misrepresent the fact of locating drugs and the amount and, in doing so, manipulating evidence gathered in relation to drugs offences. We concluded that due to the improper way the information was gained, the officer was imperiling the safety of the drug users involved and potentially prejudicing any future proceedings against dealers.

At the end of our investigation in April 2022, we found the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct. The officer resigned from Avon and Somerset Police in February 2021, having been suspended earlier.

At the conclusion of the hearing in May 2023 overseen by an independent legally qualified chair, the panel decided that the former officer had breached the standards of professional behaviour and would have been dismissed had he not already left the force. He will now be barred from serving as a police officer.

Following our investigation, we sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider any potential criminal offence by the officer. The CPS later decided not to bring any criminal charge.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. 

In this case, the investigation has not identified any learning.