Metropolitan Police Constable Thomas Hooper is said to have taken the medium-sized two-tier tin of biscuits from a storage cupboard on May 7, 2016 and then lied about it.

Charles Apthorp, representing the Metropolitan Police, told a central London misconduct hearing that it was not just a matter of taking a tin of biscuits but whether his actions had amounted to a breach of professional standards.

Apthorp said Hooper would have been aware this was not appropriate conduct and had shown a "fundamental lack of integrity".

Hooper took the biscuits, but was going to offer to share them out and also to offered to replace them, the tribunal heard.

Panel chairman Naheed Asjad said the public would be concerned about the value of the complaint about the biscuits, which was looked into by other officers and is being heard at a misconduct hearing.

She asked Sarah Blake, who was an inspector at the time: "You have a sergeant and an inspector and a box of biscuits that have gone missing and the only thing you can come up with is to refer the matter to DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards)?"

Blake replied that "the option of going to the DPS was because of the gravity of the incident".

Asjad pointed out that an offer had been made to replace the biscuits.

Blake said: "By that time the biscuits had been eaten and, in my mind, theft is theft.

"How was he going to put the biscuits back?"

Australian Associated Press