Sack and policing ban for Wiltshire detective in drunk and disorderly incident

A Wiltshire Police officer has been dismissed without notice after a hearing found his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

The hearing, held at Wiltshire Police Headquarters and chaired by Director of People Iain Gibson, concluded that the actions of DS Gareth Snoad breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of Authority, Respect and Courtesy, and Discreditable Conduct.

On Wednesday 2 October 2024, whilst off duty, DS Snoad was involved in an incident at licensed premises in Liverpool which resulted in police attendance. 

The officer was arrested and subsequently received a postal requisition for the offence of being drunk and disorderly in a public place. On Friday 20 December last year the matter was heard by Magistrates sitting at Merseyside Magistrates Court and, having entered a guilty plea, the officer was convicted of the offence.

The panel considered and upheld the allegation that DS Snoad’s actions in this incident breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

As a result, DS Snoad was dismissed from Wiltshire Police without notice. He will also be placed on the national barred list which means he will not be able to work in policing in the future.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “We expect the highest standards of professional behaviour from our officers and staff, both on and off duty. DS Snoad has acted in a manner that is simply not acceptable and he has rightly been held to account for his actions.

“I would like to reassure our communities that we will continue to act robustly where behaviour is reported to us that falls short of what our communities expect and deserve. 

"Only through doing this can we ensure that we maintain the highest standards of professional behaviour and build the trust and confidence of the communities we are here to serve.”

In line with the Police Conduct regulations 2020, the officer has a period of 10 working days to appeal the outcome.