Special constable dismissed over £1.20 in unpaid bags

West Mercia Police has dismissed special constable Luke Hodgson without notice after Chief Constable Richard Cooper found that he deliberately failed to pay for three carrier bags at Sainsbury’s, worth £1.20 in total. Cooper ruled the conduct amounted to theft and gross misconduct and said it was incompatible with service as a police officer. The ruling found that the non-payment occurred on three occasions within a 12-day period. Cooper said Hodgson knew payment was required and chose not to pay. The findings were made in a misconduct decision following a hearing held in July. Cooper concluded that Hodgson’s actions breached standards of honesty and integrity and undermined public confidence in the police. He dismissed him from the special constabulary without notice and placed him on the College of Policing barred list, which prevents him from serving as a police officer in the future. Hodgson was also employed by Sainsbury’s, which dismissed him for gross misconduct before the police hearing. Reports place the supermarket’s dismissal in December 2025. The misconduct ruling treated repayment of the £1.20 as a mitigating factor.