Detective caught driving to work under influence of cocaine

A detective undergoing a drug test openly admitted to anti-corruption officers that he expected a positive result for cocaine. The misconduct hearing for Merseyside Police revealed that Detective Constable Lewis McVey drove to work on 31 July while under the influence of a Class A drug.

Chief Constable Rob Carden, chairing the panel, described it as "unbelievable" that a police officer would consider using illegal substances acceptable. McVey, who had already resigned before the panel convened, was placed on the College of Policing's barred list, preventing him from any future policing role.

The panel learned that McVey was called in for a "with cause" drug test at 08:35 BST after arriving at work. When another detective explained the procedure, McVey said: "I'll save you the time - it's gonna come back positive." He provided a urine sample and underwent a drug wipe test after it was confirmed he had driven to work, commenting, "It won't affect my driving," when asked about his drug use.

Tests confirmed cocaine in his system, with the urine sample showing 1,000 nanograms per millilitre of benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite. The threshold for a positive result is 150ng/ml. McVey had not sought help for any addiction issues.

McVey was found guilty of violating professional standards regarding fitness for duty, adherence to orders, and discreditable conduct. In his ruling, Chief Constable Carden stated, "This type of behavior undermines public trust and confidence in the police and brings the service into disrepute." While the source of the drug was not definitively established, it was strongly inferred to have come from a dealer, exposing both the officer and the force to risk.

Detective Superintendent Cheryl Rhodes from the Professional Standards Department commented, "Resigning before the hearing was the right decision. If still serving, he would have been dismissed. Officers are expected to uphold the law, and using Class A drugs makes him unfit to serve the community."

Author: Sophia Brooks