Theft in uniform Police officer steals 180 kilos of cheese in accident - job gone

He was actually supposed to secure the accident, but instead the policeman stole cheese from the overturned truck. This now has severe consequences.

A police officer stole around 180 kilograms of cheddar cheese from an overturned truck and lost his job as a result. The Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court has now rejected an appeal by the man and confirmed the decision.

According to the court, the police officer worked for the highway police and was supposed to secure the scene of an accident during an operation. He had driven a police bus to the vicinity of the damaged truck container and asked the employee of a salvage company there to hand him several packages of cheese. He stole a total of nine cheese packages, each weighing 20 kilograms and worth 554 euros.

"The defendant brought some of the packages to the office," the statement said. It can be assumed that he also kept some for himself and his friends and relatives. In the appeal, the officer stated that the cheese was practically worth nothing and that he had wanted to save it from being destroyed. He himself does not eat cheddar cheese at all.

"Greatly harmed the country's police force"

The court took a different view: the man had committed theft while on duty in uniform and with his service weapon. "With this behavior, the defendant had greatly damaged the reputation of the state's police force," it stated. It was also irrelevant whether the cheese was only of low value. It was actually the officer's duty to prevent the theft.

The police officer had previously been cautioned in criminal proceedings in a less serious case. The court reserved the right to impose a fine of 90 daily rates of 25 euros each. After the end of the criminal proceedings, the state initiated disciplinary proceedings. The Trier Administrative Court ruled that the civil servant should be removed from his post. He appealed against this decision - in vain.