A retired Nottinghamshire police officer would have been dismissed if he were still serving in the force after buying alcohol for an underage person while off duty.
A misconduct hearing was held at Nottinghamshire Police Headquarters at Sherwood Lodge on Friday, 29 November.
The proceedings were conducted by a three-person panel led by an independent, legally qualified chair.
Former Sergeant Paul Clarke, who worked in Nottinghamshire Police’s custody suite – ceased to be an officer once the allegations were reported to the force’s Professional Standards Directorate. The hearing was told that he had retired on medical grounds.
The hearing revealed that, on 11 March 2023, Sgt Clarke went to a pub with a group of people, where he purchased alcoholic drinks for a girl in the group whom he knew.
She was 16 years old. The legal age is 18.
The panel found that he was also aware that another woman he was drinking with was in possession of cannabis and took no action. The former officer had denied this accusation, but the panel concluded he was aware after viewing CCTV evidence from inside the pub.
It was determined that he breached standards of professional behaviour, including honesty and integrity. The panel concluded he had failed to perform his duties and responsibilities and had demonstrated discreditable conduct.
Had he still been serving, he would have been dismissed from the force. He will now be placed on the police barred list.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said:
“This officer’s behaviour is unacceptable, and I support the decision of the panel, which was led by an independent, legally qualified chair.
“Officers must ensure they maintain the exceptionally high standards expected of them, whether they are on or off duty.
“This officer purchased alcoholic drinks for a minor, allowed someone to commit a criminal offence such as being in possession of cannabis, and failed to act.
“The vast majority of our officers work extremely hard to keep our community safe and carry out their duties to a high professional standard.
“This is why we will always ensure those who don’t meet these standards are dealt with robustly and removed from our organisation.”
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