A MET detective stole crisps, cash and pin badges from a fellow officer’s locker before two police batons were discovered at his home, a misconduct panel has found.
Former Detective Constable James Quigley targeted PC Joe Kempton’s locker inside Bromley Police Station on February 19, 2024.
PC Kempton had left two packets of Walkers crisps and a weapons tube containing around £20 to £30 in loose change and pin badges inside the locked locker.
But when he returned at around 6.30pm, he heard the sound of a locker door closing and spotted Quigley standing directly in front of his locker.
Quigley appeared startled before walking away, the hearing was told.
PC Kempton then discovered his locker key was missing from its hiding place. It was later found along the route Quigley had taken.
When he opened the locker, his crisps and the weapons tube containing the cash and badges had disappeared.
Quigley was tracked down minutes later in the CID room with a green Waitrose bag.
Inside were two packets of crisps consistent with the cheese and onion and ready salted packets PC Kempton had reported missing.
The misconduct panel concluded on the balance of probabilities that Quigley had entered the locker room and stolen the items.
The following day, February 20, officers searching Quigley’s home found two Metropolitan Police Service Level 2 police batons.
Quigley admitted having the batons and said he had previously used them for martial arts training.
The Panel found the theft **proven** and ruled it amounted to gross misconduct, breaching the Standards of Honesty and Integrity and Discreditable Conduct.
The allegation concerning the batons was also **proven**, with Quigley found to have breached Duties and Responsibilities and Discreditable Conduct. It amounted to misconduct.
Quigley had retired from the Metropolitan Police on July 31, 2026, before his misconduct hearing.
But the Panel ruled that, had he still been serving, he **would have been dismissed without notice**.
It also determined that he should be placed on the College of Policing barred list.
Metropolitan Police Service
- Stats since 1st January 2022
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831 Misconduct Hearings
89% held in public
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS / "the Met") is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the square mile of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police.
