A serving British Transport Police (BTP) officer has been dismissed after cannabis plants and dealing paraphernalia was found at her property.
While attending an incident in Dartford on the evening of June 7th 2021, on-duty police officers were diverted, for reasons that remain unclear, to the nearby home of the then off-duty PC Amy Byrne.
Following a subsequent search of the property, which Miss Byrne had supplied to her employers as her official address, two cannabis plants, cannabis seeds, a tent designed for growing plants, a half-smoked joint and ‘multi-coloured deal bags’, some containing cannabis, were found.
The former BTP officer denied that the property was hers and said she was there visiting her boyfriend, who was arrested at the property following the search. However, officers searching the property found letters addressed to Miss Byrne.
Speaking to investigators about the discovery, Miss Byrne said, “I knew nothing about the cannabis plants being cultivated at the address when police arrested (my partner).”
Miss Byrne’s claim that she did not know that cannabis plants or any drugs were in the property was described as ‘not credible’ by the BTP Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, who went on to say “The photographs and body-worn video show that the cannabis cultivation was extremely conspicuous and it is impossible that anyone spending any time at that address could have been unaware of it. I further found that the reason that the officer lied in relation to her living at that address was because she wished to attempt to disassociate herself with the obvious signs that cannabis had been cultivated there.”
A disciplinary hearing was held on Tuesday 10th January 2022 in Miss Byrne’s absence, where she was found guilty. Miss Byrne had tendered her resignation the previous week and refused to attend. However, before her resignation became effective she was dismissed without notice, for gross misconduct.
The misconduct notice states that both Miss Byrne and her boyfriend were arrested on suspicion of drug charges at the scene of the discovery, it is uncertain though if either party will receive any criminal charges.
In 2021 a senior Met Police officer who had previously been involved in anti-drug operations, and had chaired disciplinary hearings which resulted in police officers being sacked for drug use, was accused of taking drugs including cannabis and other psychedelics. His hearing will continue on 30th January 2023.
