Perdita
03-03-2009, 16:20
British Transport Police spent £200,000 investigating the theft of five bottles of Vimto, according to The Sun.
Officers Rob Mitchell, 40, and Kris Catterall, 38, found the soft drink in a cardboard box by a railway line.
However, rather than reporting them as stolen or lost property, they shared the bottles with colleagues. When they were discovered, the pair were suspended on full pay for 18 months.
The case was apparently later dropped, with the duo receiving only £400 fines.
"These guys and their families were put through hell for something trivial," said a source.
TaxPayers' Alliance's Matthew Elliott said: "This is an absurd and shocking waste of taxpayers' money and utter incompetence on behalf of the senior officers involved.
"If disciplinary action needed to be taken it should have been done quickly and without wasting money."
:eek: Words fail me
Officers Rob Mitchell, 40, and Kris Catterall, 38, found the soft drink in a cardboard box by a railway line.
However, rather than reporting them as stolen or lost property, they shared the bottles with colleagues. When they were discovered, the pair were suspended on full pay for 18 months.
The case was apparently later dropped, with the duo receiving only £400 fines.
"These guys and their families were put through hell for something trivial," said a source.
TaxPayers' Alliance's Matthew Elliott said: "This is an absurd and shocking waste of taxpayers' money and utter incompetence on behalf of the senior officers involved.
"If disciplinary action needed to be taken it should have been done quickly and without wasting money."
:eek: Words fail me