Former PC resigned before facing sack for theft
A former Lincolnshire Police officer would have been sacked if he had not already resigned, a misconduct hearing has heard.
PC Kevin Darby, who was stationed at Gainsborough, pleaded guilty to the theft of a jacket at Lincoln Magistrates' Court in February.
The former officer was given a community order of 12 months and 100 hours of unpaid work.
A misconduct hearing at the Lincolnshire Police HQ in Nettleham ruled Darby would have been dismissed if he had not already stepped down from his role.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Darby stole a black police issue Arktis jacket from a colleague on 2 November 2023.
The owner found the jacket was missing after returning to the locker room and finding her car key, that had been in the pocket, was in a locker.
Five days later, Darby arrived at work wearing the jacket and claimed it had been bought in Leicester.
Darby was arrested after CCTV footage showed him leaving the station with a large item under his arm and DNA testing on the jacked revealed traces from him and the officer who owned it.
'Unacceptable'
Although the former PC was absent from his misconduct hearing, Force Solicitor Liz Briggs argued that his actions amounted to gross misconduct and breached standards of professional behaviour.
Newly-appointed Chief Constable Paul Gibson said the incident would "undermine public confidence in policing".
He added: "The finding of such a breach of integrity and honesty brings into question the officer’s ability to carry out their professional duties and must be considered at the most serious end of the spectrum."
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