The National Crime Agency has fired five of its firearm trainers for gross misconduct after an internal investigation.
The agency took the action following an investigation by the government agency’s Professional Standards Unit into claims that the officers had falsified records relating to firearms training between December 2021 and July 2022.
A further three trainers resigned before their disciplinary panels were held. Two would have been dismissed and one would have been given a first written warning, the NCA said.
The agency said its capacity to train firearms officers and respond operationally has not been disrupted.
NCA deputy director Nigel Leary, said: “The NCA expects the highest standards of integrity and conduct from its officers.
“Our mission is to protect the public from serious and organised crime, and it is important that we do this with the support and confidence of the people we serve.
“To do this effectively it is essential that we root out misconduct and ensure we only ever have the right people working for us.”
Separately, in a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 14 June, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the prosecution of a former NCA officer who had been charged with two counts of misconduct in public office.
The charges followed a misconduct investigation by the agency’s Anti-Corruption Unit, which was then referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for continued investigation.
The alleged misconduct related to incidents in October 2018 when the individual was an operational officer with the NCA.
The officer resigned from the agency in May 2019 during the investigation. The NCA said it will now consider disciplinary options with its partners.
The CPS’s decision to discontinue the case follows the dismissal of a prosecution witness, who was one of the five officers dismissed from his role as a firearms trainer.
Leary said: "We continue to make clear the level of conduct required of our officers, to make it easier for our officers to report misconduct, and to search out and remove those unsuitable to work at the NCA.”