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 between October 1 and 2, chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith, concluded that the actions of PC Mat Hodge breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers of honesty and integrity, Duties and Responsibilities and Discreditable Conduct.

Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said: “PC Hodge’s actions were far below the standards expected of him and could have had potentially serious consequences.

"Thankfully, his failure to deliver the required training to his colleagues was uncovered extremely quickly and all those impacted have been provided with the refresher training they needed as part of their role."

The DCC continued: “We expect, and our communities expect, nothing but the highest standards of honesty and integrity from our officers, staff and volunteers and we will continue to root out those that, through their actions, seek to undermine the trust and confidence our communities place in us. 

“I’d like to thank those that came forward to provide evidence as part of this case. It takes courage to report wrongdoing but it is essential in ensuring that we are able to ensure we have only the highest possible standards within our organisation.

"We encourage all members of our organisation to report behaviour to us that falls short of the high level of professionalism that we set and that the public rightly expect of us."

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson (Image: Paul Stallard)

In January 2024, PC Hodge was alleged to have failed to deliver a mandatory refresher training module as part of his role as Firearms Instructor at the Blackrock Specialist Training Centre.

He then went on to state to line managers on more than one occasion that the training had been delivered and that the officers involved could be signed off as having completed it.

The panel upheld the allegation against PC Hodge and as a result he was dismissed 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.

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: "Wiltshire’s residents rightly expect the highest standards from serving police officers.

"I demand this of the Chief Constable and she demands, and enforces this, from her officers. In this case former PC Hodge fell below these standards in so many respects."

The police and crime commissioner continued: "I would like to reassure residents this training gap was spotted within days and the necessary training subsequently delivered to those officers affected."

"I am seeking reassurance from the Chief Constable that all necessary checks and balances within Wiltshire Police and Blackrock are in place to ensure something like this cannot happen again."