Avon and Somerset Police officer's gross misconduct over car dealership

A police officer committed gross misconduct by hiding the fact he ran a car dealership with a man who had known associates in organised crime, a panel has ruled.

The officer, who cannot be named, has resigned from the force and denied the allegations against him.

An Avon and Somerset Police panel was told the officer's dealings involved "substantial amounts of money".

It heard his business partner had "very dangerous" known criminal associates.

The hearing was held remotely with an instruction that no person or business in the case could be identified, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Names were replaced by colours, apart from the officer involved who was only referred to as Officer W.

Transactions involving thousands of pounds passed through his bank account from his business partner's companies, the hearing was told.

Officer W was also given luxury cars to drive, including Range Rovers, Mercedes, Audis and BMWs, as part of the deal, the panel heard.

The panel found Officer W breached professional standards of honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, confidentiality, and conduct.

They said this amounted to gross misconduct that would have caused him to be dismissed had he not already resigned.

Mark Ley-Morgan, representing the force, said: "This is an area of national concern - police officers associating with criminals - and we have multiple allegations proved."

In a written statement read out at the hearing, Officer W claimed he had been "targeted in a sustained effort to discredit my name" by senior officers.

He said: "While I concede I was involved in a business interest for a period in 2018 I did not profit from this and I certainly had no knowledge of associating with persons involved in crime.

"The misconduct of officers involved in this investigation means I cannot possibly hope to have a fair hearing."