A FORMER Essex Police officer drove an unmarked police car at high speed and activated blue lights, despite not being trained to do so, on a dash to see a relative in hospital.

Phillip Cooper was found to have committed gross misconduct following a hearing at Essex Police Headquarters.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington found PC Cooper had breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to 'Honesty and Integrity' and 'Discreditable Conduct'. He concluded that the former officer would have been dismissed from Essex Police, had he not already resigned.

PC Cooper was on duty in Basildon when he was allowed to use the car on 30 November 2019 to attend Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford after a family member was taken ill suddenly. At the time, he had no legal authority or need to drive over the speed limit. He also had not received high speed response training to drive safely under emergency conditions.

However, the hearing was told he drove over the speed limit and activated the sirens and blue lights several times.

PC Cooper mounted the concrete base of a bollard while overtaking a vehicle and clipped a taxi.

He falsely claimed a vehicle had pulled out on him and he had activated the lights to warn them of his presence and swerved to avoid hitting them.

PC Cooper, who resigned from Essex Police in May 2020, was subsequently charged with careless driving. He was also charged with driving without insurance for a separate matter involving his personal car on 9 January 2020.

He admitted the offences at Southend Magistrates' Court on 2 February 2021 and was banned from driving for six months and fined.

Chief Constable Harrington said: "PC Cooper had been allowed to use an unmarked police car to lawfully and safely travel to visit a family member who had been admitted to hospital.

"Allowing officers to use a police vehicle in such a way for a personal circumstance is a rare occurrence and while it is appreciated he would have been under stress in such circumstances, it cannot justify the manner of his driving, which could have put members of the public at risk.

"PC Cooper did not demonstrate the level of professional judgment and driving standards that are rightly expected of every officer.

"What's more, he then lied about what happened and how the collision took place.

"Honesty and integrity are paramount to ensuring and maintaining the trust and confidence of the public.

"We cannot tolerate our officers being dishonest and PC Cooper fell well below the standards of behaviour we expect."