Bedfordshire Police officer resigns after admitting stealing from Luton Sainsbury’s

A Bedfordshire Police officer has resigned after she admitted to repeatedly stealing from a supermarket in Bramingham, Luton.

PC Sarah Bell, who resigned before the Accelerated Case Hearing on Monday (June 19), was charged and admitted three counts of theft from the Sainsbury’s at St Albans Magistrates’ Court in April.

She received a six-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £150 compensation.

An in-store detective at the Sainsbury’s store on Quantock Rise saw PC Bell acting suspiciously when doing a SmartShop – scanning the items herself – in March 2022. She was confronted after leaving the store, with the worker finding that she had only put through a £41 shop despite taking goods worth £222. An investigation found more incidents of a similar nature.

At a hearing at Bedfordshire Police’s headquarters, she was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour for discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity. Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst found the behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.

Mr Rodenhurst said: “This is a clear case of dishonesty on three separate occasions.

“The most important value I expect my officers to uphold is honesty and integrity. This officer’s actions have fallen far below this standard. There is no room in my force for an officer who exhibits this behaviour regardless of their personal circumstances.”