Kettering community police officer convicted of drink driving following crash to face misconduct hearing

By Nathan Briant LDR reporter
Published 17th Mar 2023, 12:06 BST
Updated 17th Mar 2023, 12:12 BST
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Northamptonshire Police’s temporary chief constable Paul Gibson will chair the meeting to determine the officer’s future

A Kettering community police officer banned from driving after she crashed a car while nearly three times over the limit is due to face a misconduct hearing next week.

PC Rachel Cantwell, from Leicestershire, lost her licence after she admitted drink driving at Oxford Magistrates’ Court in December, 2022.

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Northamptonshire Police said she was off-duty and driving a Suzuki Vitara in Wantage, Oxfordshire, on Sunday, December 11.

The police officer will face a misconduct hearing next week.The police officer will face a misconduct hearing next week.
The police officer will face a misconduct hearing next week.

The force said the car left the road at about 6pm, mounted an embankment and then toppled onto its side.

Police officers attended and found PC Cantwell had 99 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

She was arrested. Two further samples gave readings of 100 and 97 micrograms respectively.

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PC Cantwell was banned from driving for 23 months and made the subject of an 18-month community order at the court on Thursday, January 19.

A hearing chaired by Northamptonshire Police’s temporary chief constable Paul Gibson will be held online at midday on Monday. Members of the public are able to attend by applying online.

Another officer who attacked a bouncer after leaving a pub resigned before she was sacked at a misconduct hearing on Wednesday (March 15). Former PC Karen Canwell had been fined by magistrates in November.