A police officer who was caught speeding dozens of times, including at 91mph, has been sacked. PC Harry Croot drove above the legal limit on 42 occasions.
The serving officer, who was already subject to a five-year final written warning for an unrelated matter, was dismissed after a fast-tracked hearing chaired by the Chief Constable on Saturday (January 11). PC Croot was not permitted to exceed the speed limit as he only had a ‘basic’ driving permit.
But telematics evidence recorded 42 instances of the officer speeding above the limit between May and July 2024. Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said Croot’s driving posed “a significant risk to the public” without the correct training.
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An internal standards investigation found Croot had driven marked police vehicles above the speed limit on multiple occasions. He was driving beyond his training and skills and was therefore not authorised to use the exemptions to speed limits afforded to police officers responding to emergencies.
The Chief Constable’s outcome report said: “There were 42 separate occasions over a number of months where PC Croot drove in excess of the speed limit; he knows what is expected and the authorisation on his basic driving permit is clear. PC Croot did this over time and on a number of occasions.”
On a few occasions PC Croot exceeded the speed limit by twice the limit; on the 18th May he drove 86mph in a 40mph zone. The report said: “A trained police driver would assess this risk, but PC Croot has a lack of judgement and training. He poses a significant risk to the public without the training and could have been breaking the law which is serious.”
An accelerated misconduct hearing chaired by Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington was completed on Saturday (January 11). Former PC Croot’s actions were found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in the areas of Orders and Instructions, Duties and Responsibilities and Discreditable Conduct.
The hearing found PC Croot’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed. Chief Constable BJ Harrington said the officer’s actions put himself and the public at risk.
He said: “Properly trained police officers respond to emergencies across the county every day to keep the people of Essex safe. The public expect and assume that those who have to drive at excess speeds are trained properly to do so.
“The standards and quality of police driver training are high, and every police driver undertakes extensive initial and regular refresher training to ensure they remain safe. Officers who are not trained do not drive using the exemptions available to the police such as exceeding the speed limit.
“PC Croot had not completed any of this training and was therefore neither authorised nor safe and as such he put himself and the public at risk. He did this on numerous occasions. I hope this assures people that Essex Police treats road safety as the priority it is both inside and outside the force.”