AN Avon and Somerset special constable has been dismissed following a misconduct hearing held on Wednesday (November 17).

An accelerated hearing was held in front of Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, of Wiltshire Police, in which allegations of gross misconduct were proven.

The hearing was told how the officer, who has not been named but was referred to as Special Constable A, had breached standards of discreditable conduct and equality and diversity.

The allegations related to two incidents.

In the first incident, on Tuesday, February 23 this year, the officer breached Covid-19 regulations in place by having another person in his room.

He was also under the influence of drink and drugs, was verbally abusive to his housemates, as well as sending abusive messages.

He was arrested and was given a conditional caution for using violence to gain entry to a housemate’s room.

In the second incident, he recorded himself in uniform while drunk and put a Fixed Penalty Notice on a car for a non-policing purpose.

Supt Jane Wigmore, head of the force's professional standards, said: “We expect all our officers, police staff and volunteers to adhere to the highest standards at all times.

"The actions of Special Constable A were deeply concerning and there is no place in the police service for people who behave in this way.

“Sadly, these actions have the potential to reduce public confidence in policing, but it’s important to stress they in no way reflect on the vast majority of police volunteers, who selflessly give up their time to serve and protect their communities.”