Police officer sacked after underpaying for Jaffa Cakes at charity tuck shop
15 October 2021, 06:13 | Updated: 15 October 2021, 10:21
A police officer has been sacked after he underpaid for two Jaffa Cake packets from a charity tuck shop.
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PC Chris Dwyer, of West Yorkshire Police, paid just 10p altogether for the treats when they should have cost £1.
A misconduct hearing was told the 51-year-old attempted to "change and embellish" his version of what happened when asked about it, and was instantly dismissed from the force for gross misconduct.
West Yorkshire Police alleged that a different officer went to the canteen in Halifax Police Station late on January 21, and emptied the charity tin, leaving six 10p coins and two 20p coins as a float.
The force said that half-an-hour later, PC Dwyer went to the station canteen, approached the tuck shop and took two Jaffa Cake packets.
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However, instead of paying the price of 50p per packet, the officer put just two 5p coins into the cash tin.
His underpayment was discovered when the cash tin was checked, and it was found the coins that had been left as float were in there, alongside the underpayment of just 10p.
"It is alleged that PC Dwyer failed to make appropriate payment for the items and provided dishonest accounts when questioned about the matter," West Yorkshire Police said ahead of the hearing, which was held this week.
The force said he had breached its standards of professional behaviour in relation to honesty, integrity and discreditable conduct.
The tuck shop was reportedly set up to help a charity trip to Uganda and sold treats at 50p each.
The BBC reported that PC Dwyer was dishonest when questioned about the underpayment, and at first he claimed he put in five 20p coins into the cash tin.
The misconduct panel found him to have been "evasive" in his evidence, in "an attempt to reduce his culpability".
The panel's chairman, Akbar Khan, said PC Dwyer's actions brought "discredit on the police".
He added: "The officer is solely to blame for his own conduct, which was dishonest and of a criminal nature.
"The nature of his dishonesty related to underpaying for items which proceeds were to support a charity to which he was fully aware."
