Firearms trainers sacked from National Crime Agency after 'gross misconduct'

The National Crime Agency (NCA) struck off five firearms trainers for gross misconduct.

The agency said it took the action after a "thorough" investigation by its Professional Standards Unit into claims the officers had falsified records relating to firearms training between December 2021 and July 2022.

It added three other trainers resigned before their disciplinary panels were held. The NCA said two would have been dismissed and one would have been given a first written warning.

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Separately, at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, June 14, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the prosecution of a former NCA officer who had been charged with two counts of Misconduct in a Public Office.

The charges followed a misconduct investigation by the agency’s Anti-Corruption Unit, which was then referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for continued investigation. The alleged misconduct related to incidents in October 2018, at which time the individual was an operational officer with the NCA, the agency said.

He resigned from the NCA in May 2019 during the investigation. The NCA said following the conclusion of judicial proceedings it will consider disciplinary options. The CPS’s decision to discontinue the case follows the dismissal of a prosecution witness, who was one of the five officers dismissed from his role as a firearms trainer.

NCA deputy director Nigel Leary, said: “The NCA expects the highest standards of integrity and conduct from its officers. Our mission is to protect the public from serious and organised crime, and it is important that we do this with the support and confidence of the people we serve.

“To do this effectively it is essential that we root out misconduct and ensure we only ever have the right people working for us.”

Mr Leary added: “Ensuring everyone at the NCA meets the standards we and the public demand is an ongoing priority. We continue to make clear the level of conduct required of our officers, to make it easier for our officers to report misconduct, and to search out and remove those unsuitable to work at the NCA.”

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