Former Officer Barred After Testing Positive for Cocaine

Published on: 22 Aug, 2023
Updated on: 25 Aug, 2023

By Emily Coady-Stemp

local democracy reporter

An ex-Surrey Police Officer has been barred from the profession after testing positive for cocaine.

A misconduct hearing was held on August 11, following a “with cause” drugs test on June 30 where the drug was found in a urine sample.

Former officer Rory Lewis did not attend the accelerated misconduct hearing, held at the force’s Guildford headquarters, though he was represented there.

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer

Surrey Police’s Chief Constable Tim De Meyer chaired the hearing, deciding that the former officer’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and that had he still been serving he would have been dismissed without notice.

The chief constable’s adjudication notice said the facts of the drug test were not disputed, with lab tests and expert opinion proving the presence of the drug, and an email from the former officer serving “as an admission of the facts alleged”.

He said the former officer’s behaviour breached the standard of discreditable conduct.

Ch Const De Meyer added: “Since the conduct amounts to evidence that Mr Lewis committed a crime it is plainly so serious that, had he still been a police officer, dismissal would have been justified.”

In his decision, the force lead said no aggravating factors had been put forward and that the only mitigation, though modest, was the officer’s length of service.

He said it was necessary to make clear that taking illegal drugs was “incompatible with being a police officer” in order to maintain public confidence.

“On the matter of seriousness, it is reasonable to infer that Mr Lewis knew he was ingesting cocaine and is thus culpable.

“Such action on the part of an officer is obviously harmful to public confidence in policing and one supposes that even a relatively junior officer such as Mr Lewis knew or ought to have known this.”

Mr Lewis will also be put on the College of Policing barred list meaning he cannot be employed in law enforcement in the future.