Officers cleared of misconduct in arresting drug dealer

A serving Met officer and two former officers have been cleared of misconduct for their involvement in the arrest of a drug dealer in Kensington in 2018.

Gross misconduct allegations were not proven against ‘officer M’ attached to Specialist Crime and granted anonymity by the chair of the hearing, former Detective Sergeant Michael Harding and former Detective Constable Stephen Lane, also previously attached to Specialist Crime.

Misconduct was proven for the two former officers who later inappropriately shared images and footage from the incident with family and friends.

Detective Chief Superintendent Rick Sewart, Specialist Crime, said: “A misconduct hearing today has concluded that none of the three officers committed gross misconduct.

“The hearing arose from an incident where officers were deployed on a covert surveillance operation to tackle drug dealing. The operation saw a man arrested - later charged and imprisoned - and a significant quantity of class A drugs seized.

“This matter has a very long history of legal and misconduct proceedings, with former DS Harding acquitted of criminal charges, and it has taken seven-and-a-half years to reach today’s outcome.

“We do not underestimate the significant impact on all involved of these extremely lengthy proceedings. It is why we have been lobbying for a fairer and speedier system for police accountability and I am pleased progress is being made by the Government.”

The misconduct panel heard that on 15 May 2018 the officers were involved in a covert surveillance operation.

A man in his 30s was seen with a package which was later found to contain around half a kilo of cocaine. He got into a taxi which the officers then followed in unmarked police vehicles.

Officers stopped the taxi in Lower Grosvenor Place, SW1, and the man got out and ran towards the pavement.

Former DS Harding’s vehicle swerved onto the pavement, collided with a passing cyclist and then hit the man who was thrown over railings 15 feet into a basement. He suffered a head injury and fractures.

It was alleged former DS Harding drove dangerously and deliberately at the man.

The man made a complaint and the matters were investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct following a referral by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

The IOPC made a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service and former DS Harding was charged in December 2022 with causing grievous bodily harm and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. In March 2025 the CPS offered no evidence and formal verdicts of not guilty were recorded.

The IOPC investigation also concluded that all three officers had a case to answer over allegations they colluded while preparing their statements to produce inaccurate and misleading accounts of what had happened.

The misconduct hearing today found those allegations not proven.

It was claimed former DS Harding later shared footage and photos from the incident with family and friends while former DC Lane asked another officer to send him the footage and then shared it with a family member. These matters were proven at the level of misconduct only as a breach of standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct. As both officers are retired and the matters are misconduct only, there was no sanction.

The hearing found former DS Harding did not breach standards of professional behaviour in relation to use of force, duties and responsibilities, discreditable conduct, honesty and integrity, orders and instructions and confidentiality.

Former DC Lane and officer M did not breach standards of professional behaviour in relation to duties and responsibilities, honesty and integrity, orders and instructions and confidentiality.