Kind Cop’s Punishment Takes The Biscuit!

A policeman has been reprimanded after paying £2 for a homeless man’s stolen biscuits.

Derbyshire PC Martin Rothwell faced a charge of gross misconduct after admitting paying for the two packets of biscuits, which the homeless man had taken from a Poundland store. The man was a prolific shoplifter and had been detained at the shop before police were called.

When PC Rothwell arrived, instead of arresting him he decided to pay for the goods and talk to the man outside, because he felt sorry for him and wanted to make sure he had eaten something that day. PC Rothwell then took him outside and pointed him in the direction of services that could help.

But, according to the Derby Telegraph, a worker at Poundland reported PC Rothwell’s actions to his bosses and a police professional standards probe began. That led to a hearing, eight months after the incident on July 6 last year, which resulted in a written warning. At the hearing, PC Rothwell admitted lying on the report of the incident because he wrote the homeless man had found £2 to pay for the biscuits and no crime had been committed. However, he openly told colleagues what he had actually done.

But the case against PC Rothwell was branded a “total waste of money” after he was described as a “credit to the force” by a disciplinary hearing chair, barrister Nahied Asjad, who said thousands of pounds had been spent on the case. She commented: “What does it say about the police force and target-driven standards when a police officer feels the need to lie to close the case?”

The hearing was told the homeless man was vulnerable, sleeps rough and is a “prolific shoplifter”. PC Rothwell told the hearing that “nobody would know if the man died tomorrow”. He admitted that he failed to investigate the shop theft, paid the money himself and stated on the crime reporting system and to a control room that the homeless man had found £2 and no crime had been committed. The actions amounted to misconduct and gross misconduct, which he accepted.

David Ring, who set out the case against PC Rothwell for the force, said the starting point for his actions “would have to be dismissal” because the officer had lied “in order to hide what he had done”.

But this was dismissed by the chair, who said his actions “did not amount to a cover-up”, because he had told other staff. Ms Asjad said PC Rothwell showed the “highest degree of compassion” but said his actions were “unorthodox”. She said: “Nobody in management spoke to him and explained what his mistake was. I have to question a lack of management in this case. This does not amount to a cover-up. He told two of his colleagues what he had done. Many thousands of pounds have been spent at this hearing.”

Before ruling that he should be given a written warning, she said: “You’re a credit to the force.”