A Swindon police officer who crashed his colleague’s car and then lied about it has been banned from policing for life.
Former PC Thomas Gibbs, who now works as a Traffic Officer for National Highways, would have been sacked had he not resigned earlier this year.
A misconduct hearing was held via Microsoft Teams on Monday (4 August), with the panel considering two allegations relating to a vehicle incident at a police station.
It was found that former PC Gibbs had been instructed to drive a colleague’s privately owned car to an address due to illness – but collided with a metal barrier within the confines of the police station car park.
Despite damaging the vehicle, he then failed to report the collision and later denied any involvement when questioned directly about it.
The panel found his behaviour breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour, specifically in relation to honesty and integrity, and discreditable conduct.
It was concluded that had he not resigned from the force in February, he would have been dismissed without notice.
He will also be placed on the national barred list, preventing him from working in policing in future.
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “We expect the highest standards of honesty and integrity from our officers – former PC Gibbs clearly breached these key principles by not only failing to take account for his actions but also lying about his involvement in the incident.
“Taking accountability for our actions is one of the cornerstones to maintaining the trust and confidence of the public, and we will continue to hold to account police officers and staff who fail to do so.”
In a public update on LinkedIn, Gibbs confirmed his new role at National Highways – stating that he finished his training around three months ago.
He wrote: “4 weeks of intense training done, ready to deploy to my outstation on Monday.
“An amazing group of trainees to work alongside and an inspirational team of trainers to give us the confidence and safety awareness to work in a dangerous environment.
“Excited to start a new career with National Highways where I will feel valued, thanked, and empowered.”
