Police officer faces misconduct hearing for 'sticking carrot barcode on doughnuts' to pay 7p
A police officer allegedly tried to buy a £9.95 box of 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts for seven pence by sticking a barcode for carrots on them and going through a self-service checkout.
Pc Simon Read faces a misconduct hearing over the alleged incident at Tesco Extra in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire which happened on February 10 this year.
Papers say his alleged breach of professional standards is "so serious that dismissal would be justified".
It claims that on February 10, whilst on duty and in police uniform, he went shopping at Tesco Extra in Wisbech.
"You selected a cardboard tray containing 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts that were priced at £9.95," the force alleges.
"The doughnuts tray had a price barcode on it. You then went to the fruit and vegetable area where you used the self-service scales to obtain a self-adhesive barcode price label for carrots with a price of £0.07."
Police claim he “stuck the price label for the carrots on to the doughnuts tray”.
"At the self-service checkout counter, you intentionally scanned the barcode for the carrots, instead of the bar code for the doughnuts, with the result that you were charged £0.07 for the doughnuts, rather than £9.95."
The hearing is being held in public but because of Covid-19 restrictions members of the public and media are prevented from attending in person.
The force claimed he “breached the standard of professional behaviour” and “acted dishonestly and without integrity by knowingly paying £0.07 for 12 doughnutswhen you knew that you should have paid £9.95”.
He is accused of discreditable conduct – his behaviour brought “discredit upon the police service and undermines confidence in it”.
The force alleges that “a reasonable member of the public, aware of all the facts, would be justifiably appalled that a police officer had acted dishonestly and without integrity”.
He has been advised by Cambridgeshire Police that his behaviour is “such that your breach of the standards of professional behaviour is so serious that dismissal would be justified and consequently it amounts to gross misconduct”.
