Police disciplinary hearing found that former police officer’s actions amounted to ‘gross misconduct’

A disciplinary hearing was held today (Tuesday 2nd Feb), in respect of allegations concerning the conduct of Police Constable David Kingdom.

The hearing, held at Police Headquarters in Bridgend, considered breaches of professional standards by PC Kingdom after he failed a drugs test.

The officer, who resigned prior to the hearing, was accused of discreditable conduct arising from a positive substance misuse test conducted during November 2020.

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan, who chaired the hearing, was presented with the facts of the case by the force’s Professional Standards Department.

The hearing found that the officer’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and would have resulted in dismissal if the officer had not resigned. His details will now be submitted to the College of Policing barred list to prevent him from returning to the profession.

Passing judgement, Chief Constable Vaughan said:  “Cocaine is a Class A controlled drug, the most serious classification.  Drugs markets of this classification do so much harm to our communities.  Those people who procure and consume these drugs support these markets and the levels of criminality and violence that go with them.

“Police officers are expected to uphold the law, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, and are expected to be trusted to the ends of the earth.

“The purpose of these proceedings is to maintain public confidence in policing and the reputation of the police service, to uphold high standards in policing, to deter misconduct and thereby to protect the public.

“The vast majority of the 5500 officers and staff who work for South Wales Police conduct themselves impeccably and work tirelessly to protect the public, those very few who choose to breach the standards expected of them undermine the public’s trust in policing and therefore, whether a one off or not, there is no room for this type of conduct in South Wales Police and I have no hesitation in dismissing the officer.

Superintendent Mark Lenihan of the South Wales Police Professional Standards Department said: “South Wales Police expects the very highest standards of professional behaviour from all officers and staff and the actions of PC Kingdom in testing positive for cocaine is totally unacceptable.

“Members of the public and the communities of South Wales should be reassured that the force’s Professional Standards Department takes any allegation relating to an individual’s conduct extremely seriously, as has been demonstrated here, and will always ensure that such matters are thoroughly investigated and that appropriate action is taken.”