A former West Mercia Police officer who served as the force's Federation treasurer has been sentenced to prison after defrauding his colleagues of thousands of pounds.
Jamie Harrison, 55, was sentenced to two years and three months at Worcester Crown Court today.
The ruling follows his conviction at Hereford Crown Court on 15 counts of fraud by abuse of position.
Harrison, from Droitwich, held the dual role of secretary and treasurer for the West Mercia Police Federation from 2010 until 2018, a position that placed him in charge of protecting fellow officers' financial interests.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
He left the force in February 2022.
Throughout his tenure, Harrison systematically exploited his exclusive control over Federation petty cash to fund personal spending on food, drink and leisure activities.
Investigators identified more than 100 separate fraudulent claims, with the total sum stolen amounting to roughly £13,500.
To evade detection, he deliberately kept individual claims below the £100 threshold that would have triggered additional scrutiny.
Harrison also claimed wages for shifts he never worked, with text messages revealing he had taken time off to attend rugby matches overseas in Italy and Ireland.
Jamie Harrison, a former West Mercia Police officer who served as the force's Federation treasurer, has been sentenced to prison after defrauding his colleagues of thousands of pounds
|Further evidence showed he spent working hours tending to his allotment while his official timesheets recorded him as completing full duties.
Perhaps most disturbingly, Harrison transformed solemn occasions commemorating fallen police officers into opportunities for family getaways funded by his colleagues' subscriptions.
The National Police Memorial Days, events dedicated to honouring those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service, became cover for lavish trips with his wife and children.
The family enjoyed stays at four and five-star hotels across the country, including establishments in York, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.
Harrison charged the Federation for accommodation, restaurant bills and excursions during these trips, all paid for from funds contributed by the very officers he was supposed to represent.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Jamie Harrison held the dual role of secretary and treasurer for the West Mercia Police Federation from 2010 until 2018
|GETTY
Victoria Norman, from the Crown Prosecution Service, condemned Harrison's conduct in the strongest terms.
"As a police officer and Federation treasurer, Jamie Harrison was in a position of considerable trust and was expected to act with honesty and integrity," she stated.
"Instead, he exploited his control over WMPF's finances for personal gain and behaved in a thoroughly dishonest way during the entire eight years of his tenure."
Ms Norman highlighted Harrison's "extremely cavalier attitude to being caught, dipping into petty cash at will, claiming expenses far beyond what was reasonable and falsifying timesheets".
She described his actions as a "total betrayal" of colleagues whose subscriptions funded the Federation.
Detective Superintendent Tony Garner of West Mercia Police spoke of the profound breach of faith Harrison's crimes represented.
"Jamie Harrison chose to act for himself. He took advantage of the position as Treasurer and Secretary within the Police Federation to use members' funds for his own gain," he said.
"This was a betrayal of the trust placed in him by both the public and his colleagues."
Det Supt Garner emphasised the investigation had been conducted "without fear or favour, as the public would rightly expect".
The CPS affirmed its commitment to prosecuting public servants who abuse positions of trust.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter