Police chief sacked over drugs test faces misconduct hearing after reinstatement

Commander Julian Bennett has been suspended up of a caller proceeding (Image: Getty)

A elder constabulary serviceman who was sacked for refusing to instrumentality a drugs trial but reinstated connected entreaty has been suspended from work and volition look a caller misconduct hearing.

Commander Julian Bennett took his lawsuit to the Police Appeals Tribunal successful July and had his sacking from the Metropolitan Police overturned.

But connected Monday the unit said helium had been suspended up of the caller hearing.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: "We regret that the tribunal's determination further prolongs this precise long-running case."

"The tribunal has reinstated Commander Bennett, and the Met has taken the determination to suspend him from duty."

"The tribunal has directed that a caller proceeding beryllium held and, arsenic a substance of law, this volition present happen. That proceeding volition beryllium led by an independent, legally qualified chair."

"We cognize that the nationalist and hard-working colleagues crossed the Met volition privation this lawsuit resolved quickly, and truthful we are doing each we tin to enactment the proceeding taking spot arsenic swiftly arsenic possible."

Mr Bennett, who served successful the unit from 1976, was sacked aft helium was recovered to person committed gross misconduct by failing to supply a urine illustration for a drugs trial connected July 21 2020.

In October past year, a disciplinary sheet rejected a assertion by Mr Bennett's erstwhile flatmate Sheila Gomes that helium had utilized cannabis regular earlier breakfast.

But it recovered that helium had breached nonrecreational standards erstwhile helium refused to supply a illustration for a drugs trial aft being called successful to bash truthful successful the beingness of an adjunct commissioner.

He offered to resign connected the spot instead, and asked for a gathering with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.

Mr Bennett said helium had been taking CBD (cannabidiol) to dainty facial palsy and was disquieted the illustration would travel up affirmative for an guiltless reason.

By failing to supply the sample, Mr Bennett was recovered to person breached unit standards for honesty and integrity, orders and instructions and discreditable conduct.

His lawyers argued that portion helium had ever admitted refusing to supply a sample, the sheet had recovered him blameworthy of a deficiency of integrity that helium had not been charged with.

This meant the misconduct uncovering was not permissible, they claimed.

Mr Bennett wrote the force's drugs strategy for 2017-21 arsenic a commandant for territorial policing.

The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, acceptable up plans to rise "awareness of the interaction of cause misuse".

He chaired misconduct panels implicit respective years and state of accusation requests showed helium presided implicit 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers betwixt June 2010 and February 2012.

Out of the hearings involving Mr Bennett, 56 officers were dismissed, much than three-quarters.

He chaired 69 hearings during that clip and 2 officers were dismissed for cause misuse, the figures showed.