Senior Met Police Officer Sacked After Refusing Drug Test
Senior Metropolitan Police officer, Cdr Julian Bennett, has been dismissed from his position after refusing to provide a urine sample for cannabis testing. The incident occurred after his former flatmate, Sheila Gomes, accused him of using cannabis daily before leaving the flat to go to work at New Scotland Yard. While Bennett was cleared of smoking the illicit substance, his refusal to provide a drug test sample was deemed gross misconduct.
Bennett, who had joined the Met in 1976 and had been responsible for formulating the force's anti-drugs strategy, offered to resign on the spot instead of providing the sample and requested a meeting with the then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. However, the disciplinary panel deemed that allowing the resignation would have suggested "organised corruption at the highest level." Bennett defended himself, claiming that he had been using CBD (cannabidiol) to treat facial palsy, and was concerned about a false positive result.
The panel found that Bennett's behaviour was "deliberate and intentional" and that he sought "special treatment" from the commissioner. This was supported by Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, who stated that Bennett's actions showed a complete disregard for the standards all police officers must uphold. Gray emphasised the harm the incident will have caused to the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Service and the public's trust.
Bennett plans to appeal the panel's decision, while his solicitors argue that the panel found him guilty of refusing a drug test and of misconduct that he had not been charged with. The case highlights the challenges faced by senior officers and the scrutiny they face when their actions come into question.
