A British police commander who created the Metropolitan Police’s current drug strategy has been accused of using illicit drugs, including LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms.
As The Guardian reported on Monday, a gross misconduct hearing was told that commander Julian Bennett had taken drugs while on vacation in France. Bennett had previously overseen the termination of two other officers for drug misuse.
The drug use allegedly took place between February 2019 and July 2020. Bennett, who has served on the force for around 45 years, has been suspended with full pay since July 2021.
Bennett was responsible for writing the Metropolitan Police’s drug strategy for 2017-2021. The commander also presided over 74 misconduct hearings from 2010 to 2012, in which more than 75 percent of the accused officers were terminated.
He is also accused of refusing to provide a drug sample on July 21, 2020, according to The Guardian. After being told that there was reasonable cause to suspect that he had used cannabis, Bennett reportedly claimed that he used CBD for a facial medical condition.
Bennett is accused of lying about the reason for his refusal to provide a sample and bringing “discredit upon the police service.”
The hearing over Bennett’s alleged drug use was set to take place sometime this week, but has been delayed until May 23 due to the officer’s lawyers arguing that it was unfair to proceed until they had received all the information they are seeking.