Police officer sacked for 'dishonest' act in Asda on her day off

Police officer Brigitta Pal was dismissed without notice after a misconduct hearing found she had breached the standards of professional behaviour to the level of gross misconduct

A police officer has been dismissed from her duties after attempting to obtain CCTV footage from Asda in relation to a car accident involving one of her family members.

PC Brigitta Pal was brought before a misconduct hearing at Merseyside Police HQ between September 9 and 11. The panel concluded she had violated professional behaviour standards to the extent of gross misconduct.

The hearing was informed that on July 29 last year, one of Pal's relatives was involved in a minor collision at Asda in Birchwood, Warrington. The relative, whose identity is concealed in the report, swapped details with the other party involved, whose identity is also undisclosed, reported Manchester Evening News.

Shortly after the incident, the other party started receiving phone calls from an unknown number. When they finally picked up, Pal identified herself as a Merseyside Police officer who had witnessed the incident and claimed the other party was to blame. Pal, who was off duty that day, also stated she had seen the CCTV footage at Asda.

Pal did not provide any contact information or explain how she obtained their number. She later visited Asda to view the CCTV footage. However, during her attempts to secure the CCTV, she neglected to inform staff she was related to one of the individuals involved and failed to disclose the full details of the incident.

The force has confirmed an off-duty officer, who did not disclose her status during a family incident, was dismissed without notice after Asda refused to release CCTV footage without a crime reference number. The professional standards department of the police conducted an investigation following a public complaint.

The probe found former Constable Pal had violated professional standards, specifically in regard to honesty and integrity, by being dishonest in her interactions with the complainant. This demonstrated a lack of integrity which brought discredit upon the force.

Merseyside Police have stated: "It was proven that the officer had been dishonest in her dealings with the complainant. Her actions whilst dealing with an incident involving another family member demonstrated a lack of integrity, which in turn was discreditable."

Sacked with immediacy, the ex-officer is now set for a five-year prohibition from the College of Policing's barred list. Merseyside Police Detective Chief Superintendent Sarbjit Kaur said: "We always demand the highest possible standards from all our officers and staff, both on and off duty."

"The public quite rightly have high expectations of our officers and Merseyside Police is committed to ensuring we meet those expectations. The actions of Constable Pal were thoroughly investigated by my team following a complaint made by a member of the public."

"I hope this outcome shows how seriously we take these reports and that the public are also reassured that we have now dismissed an officer who failed to meet our high standards. When we receive information about those alleged to have fallen below those standards, we will always thoroughly investigate, and where necessary take action, to ensure the public across Merseyside can continue to have the utmost confidence in the force."