TWO Gwent PCs are to resign after they used police cars to drive to Barry Island while on duty.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission announced yesterday that two of the five police constables initially implicated in the force scandal were required to resign.

Another two officers were fined 13 days' pay.

The charges levelled against the four officers, who it is believed were stationed at Blackwood police station, included:

  • All four officers behaved in a way which was likely to bring discredit to the police service.
  • Three of the officers were neither open nor truthful.
  • One officer failed to treat a member of the public with courtesy and respect.

A fifth officer resigned last week on an unrelated conduct matter and did not appear at the conduct hearing.

The IPCC decided to manage the investigation by Gwent Police, after the force voluntarily referred the allegations to them.

It was reported last year that the officers had engaged in dares to see who could get furthest from the station while on duty.

Alleged destinations included visits to Barry Island and Porthcawl.

It was reported that the PCs were caught after a vehicle broke down on the way to Weston-super-Mare.

The conduct hearing followed a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to take action on criminal charges.

IPCC Commissioner Tom Davies said: "This investigation has shown that the public can have confidence that the IPCC and the police service will vigorously tackle misconduct."

He commended Gwent Police for its willingness to "tackle a very small number of officers who have abused the trust put in them".

Mr Davies will recommend that the force look at its management processes to make sure "appropriate lessons are learnt."

The IPCC will not be naming the officers.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "Our officers, just like employees of other organisations, must face the consequences of their actions.

"We will not tolerate any behaviour that falls below the standard expected and required to deliver a top quality service to the public of Gwent.

"As has been demonstrated in this case, any behaviour that threatens this delivery and the public's confidence in the force will be dealt with swiftly and fairly."