A police officer who stole cash worth more than £3,000 while on duty in Bridgwater has been blasted as a “disgrace to the uniform” by Avon and Somerset’s chief constable.
PC Tim Silverwood, 45, has been sacked without notice for gross misconduct ahead of his sentencing next week at Bristol Crown Court after he admitted the theft.
He stole £2,750 and 550 euros while he should have been looking for a vulnerable missing child. There was a three-hour gap between him acquiring a substantial amount of money and recording a small sum as found property.
Chief constable Andy Marsh said that proved the criminal conduct was “deliberate and planned”.
He said: “PC Silverwood’s disgraceful conduct is at the most serious end of dishonesty and will no doubt cause significant harm to the confidence of the public in their police.
"His dismissal will help restore confidence that such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable within policing.
“PC Silverwood’s criminal conduct was much more than a serious lapse, indeed it was a premeditated course of conduct.
"He is a disgrace to the uniform he once wore and has undermined the purpose of policing through his dishonesty.
“There is no place for him within policing or Avon and Somerset Constabulary and he will be dismissed without notice and entered onto the barred list so that he can never have any involvement in any role in policing in the future.”
