Ex-Bromley Detective Banned After Stealing Crisps and Cash

Former detective constable James Quigley has been barred from working in policing following a gross misconduct finding. A panel concluded that Quigley stole two packets of Walkers crisps and a weapons tube containing approximately £20 to £30 from a colleague's locker at Bromley Police Station in February 2024.

The misconduct hearing, held on August 19, heard that the officer returned to the locker room and saw Quigley near his locker before discovering the items were missing. Although Quigley denied the theft, claiming the crisps were his own and that the cash and badges were never recovered, the panel found a compelling circumstantial case against him.

The panel noted evidence that Quigley appeared "sweating", "flushed" and "looking panicked" when questioned by colleagues after the alleged theft. Officers later found Quigley with a Waitrose bag containing packets of crisps that matched those reported stolen.

In a statement read to the panel, the victimised officer expressed anger and sadness, stating: "I believed that I could trust my fellow colleagues within a police station, and now that trust has been broken."

The panel concluded that the theft represented a serious breach of honesty and integrity, potentially undermining public confidence in policing. Commander Katie Lilburn determined that Quigley's conduct amounted to gross misconduct and that dismissal would have been the appropriate sanction had he not retired on July 31, 2024.

In addition to the theft, the panel found that Quigley had wrongly retained two Metropolitan Police public order batons at his home for personal martial arts training. This conduct was deemed misconduct, though not gross misconduct.

As a result of the findings, Quigley has been placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from future employment in law enforcement.