Marcus Beale: West Midlands terror chief sacked over secret documents theft
Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale has been sacked by West Midlands Police for failing to safeguard top secret documents.
The decision to dismiss the counter-terrorism officer without notice after classified files were stolen from the boot of his car was confirmed at a special case hearing at the force's headquarters in Birmingham.
Ordering that the 54-year-old be dismissed for gross misconduct, Chief Constable Dave Thompson told the hearing: "The conduct in this case is a serious criminal conviction for improperly caring for documents.
"I agree (with a previous disciplinary panel decision) that the misconduct in this case is serious and is very likely to undermine public confidence in policing."
Beale, who is due to retire next week, pleaded guilty last year to an offence under the Official Secrets Act but had argued that he should receive a final written warning.
