Officer who lied about giving mandatory firearms training dismissed
A Wiltshire Police officer who lied about delivering firearms refresher training has been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing.
The hearing heard that in January this year, PC Mat Hodge failed to deliver a mandatory refresher training module as part of his role as firearms instructor at the Blackrock Specialist Training Centre.
When questioned, he stated the training had been delivered and that the officers involved could be signed off as having completed it.
The misconduct hearing held at Wiltshire Police headquarters and chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith upheld the allegation against former PC Hodge.
The panel concluded that his actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of honesty and integrity, duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct.
As a result he was dismissed without notice. He will also be placed on the policing barred list.
Wiltshire police and crime commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Wiltshire’s residents rightly expect the highest standards from serving police officers. I demand this of the chief constable and she demands, and enforces this, from her officers. In this case former PC Hodge fell below these standards in so many respects.
“Policing by consent is the contract our police forces have with their residents. When an officer breaches that contract – by not being honest or serving without integrity – residents’ trust and confidence in the policing service is significantly affected.
“We should not under-estimate how, due to nature of the training not delivered, there could have been potentially serious consequences for armed police officers across our three policing regions and, more importantly, for residents too – who trust in the police to keep them safe.
“I would like to reassure residents this training gap was spotted within days and the necessary training subsequently delivered to those officers affected. I am seeking reassurance from the chief constable that all necessary checks and balances within Wiltshire Police and Blackrock are in place to ensure something like this cannot happen again.”