PC Daniel Betts was dismissed from the Met Police following a misconduct hearing on March 6.
On December 22 last year, PC Betts and a colleague attended a dispute between neighbours in Biggin Hill.
The dispute arose as one neighbour alleged that the other was using their address for deliveries because they were wanted by police, and as such they refused to hand over a parcel that had been mis-delivered.
When officers arrived at the scene at 11.30pm, the neighbour who said the parcel was theirs had left the scene, so PC Betts took possession of it.
At the end of his shift he left Bromley Police Station with the parcel in his hand.
Hours later other officers were on patrol in Biggin Hill when the man who said the parcel belonged to them approached them about the same issue.
PC Betts was contacted to ask where the parcel was, and he told officers he had thrown it away in a public bin in Biggin Hill.
Officers were en route to search the bin when PC Betts called again to say he had not thrown the parcel away in Biggin Hill, but rather in a bin close to his home.
Officers were dispatched to PC Betts’ home and he was arrested on suspicion of theft, at which time PC Betts said the parcel was in his car.
PC Betts told the misconduct panel he was extremely sorry for his behaviour, which he described it as a stupid mistake and a lapse of judgement.
His evidence was that it was always his intention to dispose of the package.
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In a WhatsApp message sent before his arrest PC Betts said: “I could easily sell them but I’ll throw them away.”
But Commander Andy Brittain said: “In my assessment there came a point when PC Betts decided that, instead of throwing the contents of the parcel away, he would try to sell them.
“I accept that he did not sell the contents of the parcel or make efforts to do so, but there was a period in which he was actively considering doing so.”
Commander Brittain concluded that PC Betts’ conduct amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.
