Met Police officer who racked up £8,000 in debt before disappearing for two years finally sacked

PC Cristinel Anghel went absent without official leave from the Met Police after racking up £8,000 in debts
PC Cristinel Anghel went missing in 2022
PA Wire

A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked for gross misconduct almost two years after he abandoned his job and left the country.

PC Cristinel Anghel had racked up £8,000 in debts when he disappeared in March 2022, failing to show up for work and ignoring calls and messages from police bosses.

The officer initially called in sick, claiming to have two different illnesses, but he had left his warrant card and uniform in his locker and moved out of his family home.

He was declared a missing person, and investigations then revealed PC Anghel had flown to Romania in March 2022, when he was claiming to be unwell, and left the country for good on a flight to Italy in May of that year.

At a hearing last week, Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills found PC Anghel guilty of gross misconduct and ruled that he should be sacked.

In a ruling, AC Mills said PC Anghel had asked for annual leave for three days in March 2022, and he called in sick citing mental health difficulties when he was told the time off may not be granted.

"He also sent an email to his Line Manager stating he felt his ethnicity was the reason for the leave being refused”, said the senior officer, in her ruling.

“Multiple attempts to make contact with PC Anghel were made by his Line Manager and Inspector over the next few weeks.

"PC Anghel did not answer most of the calls and texts and on one occasion sent a disrespectful message back to his Line Manager."

She said sick notes were submitted to cover the period between March 21 and June 7 2022, but the officer did not engage with his bosses or attend meetings to discuss his work arrangements.

On May 31, 2022, senior officers went to PC Anghel’s home and "were told by a neighbour that (he) and his family had moved out a week ago".

"Checks with PC Anghel’s landlady led to her disclosing invoices left at the address showing PC Anghel and his wife had accrued £8,000 of debt on credit cards, store cards and an MPS Bursary loan for a vehicle.

"A check of PC Anghel’s locker found his uniform, tablet and warrant card inside, suggesting he had unofficially left the MPS. PC Anghel was declared a Missing Person.”

Making her decision to order instant dismissal, AC Mills said: "The officer’s conduct is clearly intentional. He chose to be dishonest with his supervisor and in relation to his reasons for absence. He was not honest in relation to having left the country whilst medically absent from work. "In relation to harm, the officers’ actions clearly risk undermining public confidence in policing. Conduct that undermines discipline and good order within the police service needs to be treated seriously, even if it has not resulted in harm to individual victims. The officer has jeopardised the resilience of service delivery to the public by being absent without leave and deliberately flouted policies and procedures put in place to maintain it."

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