Special Constable Sacked for Failing to Pay £1.20 Carrier Bag Charge

A volunteer police officer has been dismissed by West Mercia Police after taking plastic carrier bags worth £1.20 from the supermarket where he worked, despite later paying the money back.

Luke Hodgson, a special constable, was dismissed by Sainsbury’s after failing to pay for 40p bags on three occasions over a 12-day period.

He has also been removed from his unpaid policing role and added to a barred list preventing him from joining another police force.

West Mercia Chief Constable Richard Cooper said he recognised that the misconduct proceedings had been “difficult” for Mr Hodgson, but stressed that protecting the force’s integrity was more important.

Although Mr Hodgson had no previous disciplinary record and repaid the money, the thefts “fundamentally undermine his ability to function as a police officer”, the chief constable said.

According to the misconduct case record, Mr Hodgson took the bags without paying while using the self-service tills at the end of his shifts at a Sainsbury’s supermarket.

On each occasion, he confirmed on the checkout screen that “no bags” had been used.

The incidents occurred three times within 12 days, with the unpaid bags having a combined value of £1.20.

Sainsbury’s summarily dismissed him for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing on December 12, 2025.

Mr Hodgson did not contest the allegation that he had failed to pay for the bags, the police misconduct finding said.

In deciding the outcome, Mr Cooper considered whether Mr Hodgson might have been “tired” after finishing his shift at the supermarket.

However, he also noted that receipts showed Mr Hodgson had paid for bags on other occasions and that he had received training on operating the self-service checkouts.

The chief constable concluded that Mr Hodgson “did know that payment was required for the bags and chose not to offer such payment”.

His decision took into account the three incidents occurring in quick succession, during which SC [Special Constable] Hodgson actively confirmed that no bag had been used. Mr Cooper also considered that he had been able to “navigate” the “straightforward” self-service checkout system.

“An ordinary person would consider this action, to avoid payment when it was obviously required, to be dishonest,” he said.

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Mr Cooper acknowledged that the “monetary value” of the thefts was “low” to Sainsbury’s, but said they caused “greater harm” to the police because officers must act honestly, particularly given the reliance placed on their testimony when evidence is gathered.

“The public expect nothing more from the police service than for them to be trustworthy,” Mr Cooper added.

He also described Mr Hodgson’s conduct as “an abuse of trust” in relation to his role as a supermarket employee.

Repaying the £1.20 was accepted as a “mitigating factor”, but Mr Cooper concluded that Mr Hodgson had acted dishonestly rather than inadvertently, as he had claimed.

‘My finding is that SC Hodgson knowingly took bags belonging to his employer without paying for them on three occasions,’ he added. 

‘This is theft. 

‘This breaches the standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity and it discredits the service, both to a level that amount to gross misconduct.’

Being sacked for theft ‘fundamentally undermines his ability to function as a police officer,’ he added, saying the absence of other matters of concern from his special constable role did not amount to ‘exceptional circumstances’ meriting a reprieve.

‘Indeed, dismissal is the necessary outcome,’ the finding concludes. 

‘Having arrived at the conclusion of deliberate dishonesty amounting to theft, public confidence cannot be maintained by SC Hodgson retaining the office of constable. 

‘He will therefore be dismissed without notice.’

As well as being fired by the force, which covers Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, he has also been placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing him joining another force.

Mr Cooper added: ‘I acknowledge that these proceedings will have been difficult for SC Hodgson but ultimately my greatest concern must be the integrity of the service.’

After Our News Outlet led the way with our Banish the Bags campaign, the introduction of charges in 2014 saw sales of single use plastic bags drop by 98 per cent in a decade.

Stores must charge a minimum of 10p, but in 2025 Sainsbury’s raised the price of its reusable plastic bags to 40p each.