AN Avon and Somerset Police officer has been sacked for stealing thousands of pounds from another person.

PC Tim Silverwood stole £2,750 and 550 euros on October 16 last year while he was on duty in Bridgwater, a misconduct hearing was told yesterday (Thursday).

Silverwood, 45, took possession of a large amount of cash, but asked a colleague to book only a small proportion of it in the found record.

At the same time he should have been progressing an inquiry into a vulnerable missing child.

He was later arrested and charged with theft, which he admitted at a hearing at Bristol Magistrates’ Court last month. He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday (July 15).

As a result of his guilty plea, a special case misconduct hearing was held yesterday, chaired by Chief Constable Andy Marsh.

The Chief Constable concluded that allegations of gross misconduct were proven and the appropriate sanction was dismissal without notice.

In his conclusion, the Chief Constable 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."