A POLICE Constable has been dismissed without notice from West Mercia Police for behaviour amounting to gross misconduct.

The officer, who had over 20 years service and was based in South Worcestershire, accepted monies from the owner of a licensed premises, which he knew would compromise his position as a local policing officer.

Head of Professional Standards, Superintendent Stephen Eccleston said: "Cases like this are rare but when they do happen they must be dealt with robustly.

"The public rightly expects police officers to act with the highest integrity, and our Code of Ethics makes it quite clear the standards we should all aspire to in our day to day work.

"Our officers and staff do a very demanding job on a daily basis, and it is disappointing when the actions of the very few risk detracting attention from the excellent work done by the vast majority of our colleagues to keep our communities safe."

The Gross Misconduct Hearing took place on Tuesday 29th July 2014 and was chaired by ACC Gareth Morgan.

The officer’s behaviour breached the standards of Honesty and Integrity and Discreditable Conduct and fell outside the expectations made clear in the Code of Ethics.