
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned.
He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards.
A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.
Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September.
The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing.
The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett.
'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test.
'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate.
'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.'
Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.'
Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing.
The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise 'awareness of the impact of drug misuse'.
He chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Buntingford memorial unveiled to 'valiant' police dog Finn
A bronze statue has been unveiled to honour the memory of a police dog who saved his handler's shepherd Finn suffered near-fatal injuries in 2016 when he confronted an armed suspect in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, while protecting his handler, PC Dave Wardell - now retired - was stabbed, but maintained that without Police Dog Finn's intervention, he could have been more seriously wounded.A Thin Blue Paw Foundation fundraising campaign raised £40,000 in 72 hours to pay for his statue. It was unveiled in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, on Sunday. "It was incredibly humbling when I found out that the foundation wanted to create a memorial in his honour and I was absolutely staggered by the response that the fundraiser had from the public," said Mr Wardell. "It goes to show how many people were touched by Finn's story."When his attacker was only charged with criminal damage, Mr Wardell campaigned for Finn's Law, calling for legal protection for service legislation was passed in 2019, as the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) BillFinn recovered from his injuries and continued working briefly, before he retired. He died in 2023 at the age of 14 and the memorial was unveiled on the second anniversary of his death. Thin Blue Paw chairman Kieran Stanbridge said Finn captured "the hearts of the nation".The charity rehabilitates, protects and celebrates both serving and retired police police dogs do not receive financial support from the force they served with meaning their ex-handler or new owner has responsibility for their care and vet bills. "Finn was one of the most decorated police dogs in our history and not only served his community valiantly and loyally during his career, but put his life on the line to save Dave during a violent and dangerous incident," Mr Stanbridge said. "We felt he needed to be remembered and honoured appropriately and we're proud to have raised the funds to pay for this beautiful memorial in his memory. "We also hope it will become a place of reflection and dedication for all police dogs, both past and present."The 80kg (176lb) sculpture of Finn was created by specialist animal sculptor Suzie Marsh and took 11 months to create. "I was delighted and honoured to be chosen for this project and feel the result is a fitting memorial to a well-loved, brave and special dog," she said. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man jailed over Ormskirk murder after 18 months on the run
A man who fatally stabbed a teenager, then went on the run for 18 months, has been jailed for at least 23 Daulby, 19, from Liverpool, was knifed in the chest after two groups clashed outside a bar in Ormskirk, Lancashire, on 29 July Dures, 21, who eventually handed himself in at a police station in Greece, was found guilty of wounding with intent, following a trial at Preston Crown comes after another man, Henry Houghton, of Scarisbrick, was jailed last year for a minimum of 20 years for his role in Mr Daulby's murder. Mr Daulby was found with serious injuries by police, who were called to Railway Road shortly after midnight on 29 July 2023 after reports of a fight, Lancashire Police said. The victim was taken to hospital where he later died. A post-mortem examination found he was killed by a single stab wound to the to the fight, CCTV footage played to the jury during the trial showed Dures and Houghton lurking in an alleyway. Shortly afterwards, Dures is seen striding towards a group, including Mr Daulby, brandishing a opened up the blade as he charged towards them, closely followed by Houghton, swinging a makeshift weapon comprising a tied-up sock containing a struck Mr Daulby with such force that it caused damage to his brain and likely disorientated him, Lancashire Police said. It was while he was in this confused state that Dures fatally stabbed Mr Daulby in the chest, the force stated. Dures also stabbed two other men during the altercation, before fleeing the scene after hearing the sirens of an approaching police footage showed Dures then made a loop of Ormskirk town centre, discarding his jacket on a park bench in Triangle subsequently dumped the knife in a narrow passageway near Ormskirk Parish Church, police saidThe jacket was later found by a dog walker, and the knife by an estate agent. Both items were handed into the of no fixed address but formerly of Whalley Drive, Aughton, sent voice notes to his friends before leaving the area in a then went on the run for 18 months, before handing himself in at a police station in Greece. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.


The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Swinney calls for legal referendum if SNP secures majority at Holyrood election
First Minister John Swinney has called for a 'legal referendum recognised by all' on Scottish independence if the SNP secures a majority at the Holyrood elections. Writing in a column in the Daily Record, Mr Swinney said that in the 17 years since the 2008 financial crash 'people feel like they are working harder than ever, but not seeing any improvement in their living standards'. He said the UK economy is 'fundamentally failing to deliver for ordinary people' as well as generating insufficient funding for public services. The SNP leader called for the May 2026 Holyrood elections to be 'a springboard for Scotland taking charge of our own destiny'. He said the situation had got worse since the 2014 referendum, and wrote: 'Think what could have been achieved had we not been forced to spend so much time and money trying to mitigate the ongoing damage of Brexit. 'Or the carnage unleashed by Liz Truss's mini-budget. Or the years of austerity, or Westminster cuts like the Winter Fuel Payment. 'We were told we didn't need independence and we just needed a Labour government – but look how that has turned out.' He wrote that 'independence is the catalyst that will deliver a better future for us all' and that 'with Scotland's energy resources in Scotland's hands, we can reduce bills for consumers and cut costs for businesses'. Mr Swinney revealed he hoped to deliver an SNP majority similar to 2011 in a bid to 'secure a legal referendum recognised by all' and had submitted a motion to the SNP conference proposing that 'we work to deliver a majority of SNP MSPs in the Scottish Parliament to secure that referendum'. He pledged to unveil 'radical policies that we know will transform Scotland' in the coming months, and to 'break the logjam and end this frustration that we all feel'. Mr Swinney added: 'We must be ready to follow the path which we know can lead us to an independent state.' Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'John Swinney is like a broken record. In a bid to silence internal critics of his weak leadership, he has thrown diehard nationalists some more red meat on the one issue they all agree on: independence. 'Ordinary Scots are sick and tired of the SNP's obsession with breaking up the UK. 'The public want John Swinney to focus on fixing the damage his government has done in decimating essential services such as schools and the NHS at the same time as making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK.'