A Metropolitan Police constable has died after being found on the roof of his station, days before he was scheduled to attend a misconduct hearing. The officer, who was in his 50s, is suspected to have died by suicide. His body was discovered at Kensington police station in west London on Thursday.
The constable was reportedly facing a gross misconduct investigation after failing a random alcohol breath test in July. He drove response vehicles and was pulled over for the test after allegedly experiencing personal difficulties and issues with alcohol. He had been suspended from duty pending the investigation.
The Metropolitan Police have stated that the death is not being treated as suspicious. An inquest into the death will be held, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been notified.
Sources indicate the officer narrowly failed the breath test, which has a lower limit for police officers (13 micrograms per 100 milliliters) compared to the general driving limit in Britain (35 micrograms). A colleague described the officer as a "true legend."
The Police Federation has previously highlighted a "silent crisis of police suicide," reporting that over 100 police officers and staff died by suicide between 2022 and 2025, with more than 200 attempting suicide. At least 70 of those who died were serving officers, and 47 of those cases involved officers under misconduct or criminal investigation. In 2025 alone, 12 out of 13 known police suicides were officers facing investigations.
Retired Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville suggested that chief constables need to re-evaluate how they handle vulnerable staff facing misconduct proceedings.
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