Officer who drove drunk is barred from policing

A former police officer who resigned after admitted driving while drunk would have been sacked, a disciplinary hearing has been told.

Ex PC Ted Andrews, who resigned on Friday, had admitted driving under the influence of alcohol after being involved in a minor collision while off duty in Swindon on 20 September.

A misconduct hearing into his actions was held at Wiltshire Police headquarters on Monday.

The disciplinary panel concluded the behaviour Andrews, who has been barred from policing, amounted to gross misconduct.

A hearing at Oxford Magistrates Court in November 2025 was told police patrolling in Swindon came across a broken-down white Skoda at the town's Magic Roundabout, which is made up of five mini roundabouts encircling a central island

The Skoda, driven by Andrews, was thought to have collided with an object.

When Andrews was breathalysed, he was found to be over the legal limit and was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to drink driving and was disqualified from driving for 16 months and fined £250.

The chair determined that had Andrews not already resigned, he would have been dismissed without notice.

The force's director of people Iain Gibson said: "Policing is a privilege, and the actions of former PC Andrews fall considerably below the standards of professional behaviour that we expect.

"Drink driving can have devastating impacts on individuals, other road users and the community at large and for an officer to be found over the limit is completely inexcusable.

"The public's trust and confidence in the police is essential for policing to be able to provide the best possible service, and former PC Andrews' actions threaten to undermine all the excellent work that the overwhelming majority of officers do to keep the public safe on our roads."

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