A police officer from Cornwall who crashed while under the influence of alcohol then ran off before being arrested.

PC Paul Woodward has now been dismissed from Devon and Cornwall Police without notice, having breached the standards of expected behaviour.

He has already been convicted of drink driving following a court hearing in June.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell subsequently held an accelerated misconduct hearing at the end of November, where he determined that the officer’s actions of breaking the law were “very concerning”.

The panel heard that on March 26 this year, PC Paul Woodward, from St Austell, was arrested under Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 after he crashed his vehicle and fled the scene.

He pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on June 28 this year where he was disqualified from driving for 17 months and fined £890.

The court was told he had been behind the wheel of a Volkswagen in St Austell before recording a breath test reading of 66 microgrammes of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit being 35 microgrammes of alcohol.

PC Woodward was suspended following his arrest and remained so after his conviction.

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In his summary following the misconduct hearing, Acting Chief Constable Colwell said: “The above offence is a very serious matter.

“Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving whilst unfit due to alcohol is entirely inconsistent with the expectation clearly held by the public in terms of how an officer should conduct themselves.

“This is not a case of an officer making a mistake or exercising poor judgement whilst under extreme stress or provocation whilst doing their duty. PC Woodward deliberately chose to drive his vehicle on that day knowing he was not fit to do so, choosing to commit a criminal offence in the process.”

The acting chief constable found that PC Woodward’s actions amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice. He will now be added to a barred list, preventing him from working in policing or other law enforcement agencies.

Head of Professional Standards, Superintendent Alex Doughty, said: “This officer’s actions were in no way aligned to the conduct in which police officers and staff conduct themselves day in and day out.

“We have all seen as we go about our duty that drink driving has the potential for the most serious of consequences, and we continually educate the public on the risks of driving under the influence and other Fatal Five causes.

“I am wholly disappointed that the officer, on that day, took the actions that he did and agree with the decision made by the Chair.”