Serving officer dismissed without notice – London

A serving British Transport Police officer has been formally dismissed without notice, following an accelerated misconduct hearing.

PC Jason McGuinness, based in London, was dismissed with immediate effect by the Chief Constable on Monday 30 January.

The allegations were that on 3 October 2022, PC McGuinness attended for duty as a frontline response officer while unfit due to the influence of alcohol.

When tested, he provided a positive result for alcohol which was more than five times over the limit.

The Chief Constable found that his actions amounted to gross misconduct and dismissed him with immediate effect.

Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said: “PC McGuinness started his shift as a frontline response officer, where he could potentially be expected to attend life and death situations in dangerous locations. He was not just slightly over the alcohol limit, but blew over five times it.

“In making the decision to report for duty in an unfit state due to excess alcohol, he put himself, his colleagues, and the public at risk.

“This was a serious breach of our standards and values at BTP. It is not acceptable for officers to betray the trust of the public or their colleagues. I have therefore dismissed PC McGuinness with immediate effect.”