Marcus Beale: West Midlands terror chief facing the sack over theft of top secret documents
The West Midlands' most senior counter-terrorism officer should be sacked for gross misconduct over the theft of top secret documents, a disciplinary panel has found.
Chief Constable Dave Thompson will make the final decision over Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale's fate, but a disciplinary panel recommended today that he should be dismissed.
He is set to retire from the force in April, but if sacked will lose £215,000 from his pension.
The top secret paperwork was stolen from the boot of ACC Beale's car sometime over the course of five days in May last year.
After the theft he was moved from his counter-terror brief to a new job overseeing motorways policing, health and safety, and the force response control room.
The documents had been left in the car by the counter-terrorism chief, who had then left the vehicle at a train station car park for two days while in London with his wife.
He also left the car unattended at a supermarket.
The theft was discovered by ACC Beale when he stopped at a service station while on his way to Oxford, four days after being given the documents.
The paperwork, which had been placed in a brown envelope, featured minutes of a meeting of the Executive Liaison Group.
The loss of the paperwork, which has never been recovered, could have been 'catastrophic' according to a legal counsel for West Midlands Police.
The panel is now considering what action it is to recommend the forces chief constable takes over ACC Beale, who is due to retire in march and has been suspended while in full pay since the incident.
Court
Fifty-four-year-old ACC Beale has already been dealt with by the UK's justice system for the theft of the documents.
In December last year he pleaded guilty to failing to safeguard information under the Official Secrets Act at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
He was fined £3,500.
