Shropshire firearms officer was three times the alcohol limit while on call

PC William Weir, known as Billy, had 43 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in his system when a test was carried out on August 5, 2023. The recommended limit for those on call is 13mcg. By comparison the drink driving limit for civilians is 35mcg.

At the time of the offence, Mr Weir, who is in his mid-30s, was on call with West Mercia Police’s Task Force as a firearms officer. He was based in Shropshire, covering the whole county.

Temporary Chief Constable Alex Murray, who was chairing a misconduct hearing at the force’s headquarters in Hindlip, Worcestershire on Friday, said Mr Weir would have been dismissed had he not already resigned.

He has also been added to the College of Policing Barred List preventing him from ever working for a UK police service in the future.

“When officers are on-call it is important that they remain fit for duty,” said T/Chief Const Murray.

“This was not the case in this instance. Officers and staff are held to a high standard of professional behaviour both on and off duty, which the public rightfully expect. If they fall below these standards then we will take action.”