A retired senior detective has blasted the decision not to punish two officers who sat watching television on a woman’s sofa for four hours after being called to her home.
Ex-Scotland Yard undercover officer Peter Bleksley said the officers should at least be admonished by their superiors and put on the least attractive duties for a ‘considerable amount of time’.
He was speaking as new video emerged showing how the pair of Greater Manchester Police officers sat watching Come Dine With Me and Netflix.
They were ‘chilling’ at the home of 21-year-old Abbygail Lawton from Wigan, who was in the midst of a mental health crisis.
Concerns for Ms Lawton’s well-being had been raised by the ambulance service and the pair had been sent to her home as backup.
After searching the property and finding she was out, they were told to wait at the house in case she returned.
But they were filmed on Ms Lawton’s CCTV making themselves at home with their feet up. One of them also was also seen using her dumbbell weights.
The officers have been told their behaviour ‘did not breach the standards of professional behaviour’ by GMP’s Professional Standards but they should reflect on how they had appeared.
Today experienced retired officer Mr Bleksley told MailOnline: ‘I think it was utterly disrespectful.
‘The Police are paid out of the public purse and what we hear out of senior officers these days is complaints at the lack of resources and how they can’t spare manpower to deal with shoplifting, car thefts and burglaries.
‘We’ll… here we have a couple of officers sitting on their backsides watching Come Dine With Me on someone else’s sofa for four hours.
‘These officers should have obviously known better themselves but where was the supervision? I’d say there was an appalling lack of it here.
‘To escape any kind of punishment and instead told merely to ‘reflect’ on their behaviour is not a good look in the slightest.
‘Had that happened when I was an officer, I suspect the guilty parties’ feet would not have touched the ground and they would have had what we call ‘words of advice’ from the Inspector or Sergeant.
‘That would have meant making the tea or being sent on school crossing patrols for a considerable amount of time. I think that should apply with these two officers.
‘What they have being caught doing isn’t crime of the century but it’s a terrible example to set and seemingly at odds with modern day policing which appears to be increasingly focused on perception.
‘GMP have a new Chief Constable in Stephen Watson who I know wants to reintroduce standards of appearance and discipline. He will be irritated by this more so that I am.’
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
