Scotland Yard, a longtime name for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), was featured in numerous headlines this month when a senior officer in charge of misconduct hearings and drug strategy on the force admitted that he consumes cannabis despite its illegality in England.
Commander Julian Bennett, a veteran officer with 43 years of experience in his career, was suspended in July. He told investigators that he uses cannabis for medical reasons, reasons which he did not specify when he issued his confession. He was reportedly taken off duty for refusing to take a drug test, however there was also an anonymous tip about his cannabis use that prompted the investigation.
This case is especially ironic since Bennett was in charge of the Metropolitan Police’s drug policy in the past. He wrote the MPS’ drug policy, which according to The Sun, included raising “awareness of the dangers.”
An MPS spokesman described the incident. ‘The MPS made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct regarding the conduct of a senior officer,” the spokesman said in a statement. “Following an allegation regarding the misuse of controlled drugs, the Directorate of Professional Standards recorded this as a misconduct matter and made the referral to the IOPC. The IOPC returned this to the MPS to run a local investigation, which is underway by the DPS and has been assessed at the level of gross misconduct if proven. The officer has been suspended from duty.”
Further investigation will reveal whether or not Bennett will be permanently removed from duty, or if cannabis medical policy will begin to change within UK law enforcement. For now, it still remains inadmissible for officers of the law to use cannabis while employed.
The issue has currently been referred back into the department for internal investigation and is pending a final verdict.
