Ex-police federation secretary convicted of fraud

An ex-police officer and police federation secretary who used his colleagues' money to fund holidays has been convicted of fraud.

Jamie Harrison, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, was found guilty of 15 counts of fraud by abuse of position, while he was with West Mercia Police Federation, with a total value of about £13,500, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The CPS uncovered more than 100 fraudulent claims, he made as secretary and treasurer between 2010 and 2018, using members' funds to pay for family holidays, meals and entertainment, Hereford Crown Court heard.

The former West Mercia Police officer, aged 55, is due to be sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on 25 March.

The CPS said Harrison was in a position of trust at the federation, in which he was responsible for safeguarding the financial interests of his fellow officers.

He repeatedly dipped into the federation's petty cash, over which he had sole control, to fund his personal spending, keeping claims to under £100 in order to avoid scrutiny.

Harrison also falsified timesheets and accepted pay for days where he was not at work, with messages proving he had taken days off to watch rugby abroad, including trips to Italy and Ireland.

He also used his attendance at National Police Memorial Days as opportunities to take his wife and children on family holidays, with the family staying in four and five-star hotels in York, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.

Harrison, who resigned from the West Mercia force in 2022, had claimed the cost of accommodation, meals and day trips from his fellow officers' funds, the CPS added.

A spokesperson added he was cleared of one further count of fraud, with the jury also failing to reach a verdict on the final count during a five-week trial.

Victoria Norman, from the CPS, said Harrison was in a position of trust and had exploited his control over the federation's finances for his personal gain.

"Harrison displayed an extremely cavalier attitude to being caught, dipping into petty cash at will, claiming expenses far beyond what was reasonable and falsifying timesheets," she said.

"His entitled and dishonest behaviour ran counter to everything he should have stood for as a public servant and was total betrayal of the colleagues whose subscriptions funded the Police Federation, who trusted that their money would be used appropriately."

West Mercia Police said concerns were first raised to the national Police Federation in June 2018, with auditors commissioned to review financial accounts before Harrison was suspended from his role.

Det Supt Tony Garner described it as a "betrayal of trust".

"Jamie Harrison chose to act for himself," he said.

"His actions amounted to criminal behaviour, and an investigation was carried out, without fear or favour, as the public would rightly expect."

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