Six Metropolitan Police cops caught working while on drugs, shock figures show

SIX Scotland Yard cops were caught working while on drugs, shock figures show.

Two officers at the scandal-hit force tested positive on duty for cannabis last year, while two failed tests for taking class A cocaine.

PA

Another was flagged for traces of opiates, including morphine.

And a sixth was found with traces of benzodiazepines and amphetamines in their bloodstream.

The figures emerged as a top Met cop fights a disciplinary hearing over his alleged use of LSD and magic mushrooms.

The case against Commander Julian Bennett – who drew up the force’s anti-drugs strategy – was adjourned for a third time earlier this month.

Elsewhere a total of 16 cops in England and Wales failed drugs tests while on duty in the last year, FOI data revealed.

Fourteen were snared by targeted testing, while the remaining two tested positive in random tests.

Elsewhere 47 new police recruits – including 18 would-be Met officers – saw their careers snuffed out after failing recruitment tests.

Last a Met spokesman said: “The overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police officers uphold and adhere to the exemplary standards expected of our officers.

“It is a tough job but both the public, and the Met itself, expects the highest of standards from our officers.

“These same standards apply when officers are on and off duty.

“Where they are not met, it is right officers are held accountable for their actions.

“We accept there is more we can do and we have already put more than 100 extra officers into our professional standards department to investigate wrongdoing.

“We are completely focused on building a police service Londoners can trust and be proud of.”

The figures showed Cleveland Police testing found an officer had been abusing anabolic steroids.

Gwent Police said one officer resigned after they tested positive for cocaine while the force in Merseyside also had an officer leave after they were found to have steroids in their system.

There was also one officer from the force in Scotland and two from the Northern Ireland police force who lost their jobs after testing positive for illegal drugs.

A cop at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, which guards the nation’s nuclear power sites, quit last year after they tested positive for cocaine in a random test.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “The vast majority of police officers and staff fulfil their duties in serving the public to the highest standard, but we recognise that there are a tiny minority who conduct themselves in a way which grossly undermines public trust and confidence in policing.

“Where officers don’t meet the expected standards of behaviour, including those who test positive for use of illegal drugs, they will be dealt with directly, and this could result in them losing their jobs or in the most serious cases, criminal conviction.”