A Metropolitan Police chief inspector has been sacked for lying about his qualifications and speeding while at work without appropriate training. A disciplinary hearing, which concluded on Monday, February 23, found three allegations to be true against Chief Inspector Andrew Du, who was based at Central North Command Unit.

The police concluded that his actions put the public and officers at risk, and the gross misconduct was so serious that it warranted his immediate dismissal. On more than one occasion, he was found to have driven a marked police car at excessive speed. He had also activated the vehicle’s blue lights and sirens without having the required training or authorisation, which the Met concluded had put people at risk.

He also misrepresented his driving qualifications to his colleagues and managers. He only had basic driver status, which prevented him from driving with blue lights or at excessive speed, but he told them he was qualified to drive an area car, which is a high-performance police car.

Ch Insp Du also told his colleagues and managers that he had previously been posted to the Met’s firearms command. He had never served in that team in any capacity.

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the Central North area, said: “Chief Inspector Du’s actions fell far below the standard people rightly expect from Met officers.

“Londoners need to be able to trust that officers are qualified to carry out their roles safely and in accordance with training. Leaders in the Met must uphold the highest standards and lead by example.”

Ch Insp Du was found to have breached police standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, and discreditable conduct.

It amounted to gross misconduct and was so serious as to justify his immediate dismissal.

He will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by the police and a number of other policing related bodies.