A police officer who set up a travel firm while on sick leave sick from work has been given a written warning.
Det Sgt Darren Black-Cox became a director of Ohana Travel Ltd between October 2022 and February 2023, while he was absent from the force through stress.
His behaviour amounted to gross misconduct, a Bedfordshire Police hearing found.
The disciplinary panel accepted he did not set out to deliberately abuse the system but there was an element of naivety and ignorance.
Det Sgt Black-Cox had planned to start the company for over a year and had invested his own money in it.
Between December 2022 and April 2024 his Facebook account posted on a private Facebook group called “Ohana Florida”.
After he set up the company, he applied to register a new business interest in it but this was refused because of concerns that the stress of running the business would interfere with his fitness and return to duty.
His appeal against the decision was rejected in January 2023 but the company continued to actively solicit bookings from customers.
The hearing found that his conduct breached various standards of professional behaviour, and while there was no actual harm to the reputation of Bedfordshire Police. there was a risk of serious harm.
Det Sgt Black-Cox accepted a level of blame and, at the conclusion of the evidence, he removed his personal interest in the company.
The panel said a final written warning for a period of two years would allow him to undergo training or learning to address issues it had identified.
It added that officer retention was a priority and that he was a hard-working and dedicated officer the service would not wish to lose.
