A Police constable has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison after driving police vehicles while disqualified.
Miles Caffull, 26, of Ledbury in Herefordshire, had been a response officer based in Gloucester. He appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court today (Monday 15 January), where he pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving a motor vehicle without third party insurance.Â
The charges relate to the use of his vehicle on 26 May 2023, the first time he had driven since being banned.
However, the sentence reflects the aggravating factor that Caffull had carried on driving vehicles, including police vehicles while on duty, up to 16 June 2023.
Caffull had been disqualified from driving in May 2023 after accumulating 12 points on his licence for speeding offences while off duty.
Under police officer regulations, Caffull should have informed his employer about the points and ban as soon as possible but he did not report the speeding incidents or disqualification until 20 June, when he told his manager.
He was then suspended from duty on 21 June and charged following an investigation by the Constabulary’s Professional Standards Department.
Caffull resigned from his job last week but remains subject to ongoing misconduct proceedings.
In mitigation, Caffull’s solicitor told the court the former officer recognised he had been ‘stupid’ and could not give a reason why he had carried on driving.
District Judge Strongman reduced Caffull’s custodial sentence from 18 weeks to 12 weeks in light of him pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Detective Superintendent Alastair Stenner said: “Regulations and the Code of Ethics, which every officer must adhere to, state very clearly that officers must report as soon as reasonably practical any occasion where they have been subject to a number of sanctions, including a road traffic offence.
“Clearly Miles Caffull knew he was taking an incredible risk by continuing to drive police vehicles during this time.
“He was flouting the laws he swore to uphold, putting the public at risk and bringing the Constabulary into disrepute every time he got behind the wheel.
“The sentence today reflects the seriousness of his offending and the disregard shown over such a long period.
“In this case the misconduct proceedings could not be completed until the court outcome. We will now look to fast track a gross misconduct hearing which will decide if the officer would have been dismissed if he was still serving.
“We are also reminding all officers of the very clear obligation on their part to report traffic offences internally and we will be reinforcing this message throughout the coming months.
“Officers are subject to re-vetting checks after a period of time and, in line with national policy, a data wash against national databases has recently been carried out in connection with all officers and staff to provide public confidence.
“Any information that suggests officers have not disclosed offences will be investigated and those officers subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings.”
Caffull was also banned from driving again today, for 18 months.
