Met Police Fires Officer for Selling Coffee and Pastries, Violating Professional Standards

PC Stanley Kennett has been sacked for running a 'full-blown' side business while still employed by the Metropolitan Police.

Metropolitan Police Constable Stanley Kennett, 31, has been dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing on 12 February. Per the ruling, Kennett violated police standards of professional behaviour, amounting to gross misconduct.

Officer Sacked for Unauthorised Coffee Business

Kennett was confirmed to have been operating a coffee company while suspended and on full pay, two years after his application for a business interest was rejected. He pitched a venture called The Coffee Cycle on 23 April 2024, but it was declined after a week.

Kennett ignored the ruling, and by September 2025, it was confirmed that he 'continued to engage in and operate this unauthorised business interest.' Companies House listed Kennett as the director of The Coffee Cycle, incorporated on 1 April 2025.

Located in Storrington, West Sussex, The Coffee Cycle primarily serves coffee, cakes, and pastries. Per the official website, the business also offers catering services for events.

Met Officer's Business Deemed a Conflict of Interest

Officers engaging in unauthorised secondary employment or business activity breach the standards of public trust, according to the College of Policing's Code of Ethics. Such ventures risk conflicts of interest, especially to an employed officer's mandate, duties, and responsibilities.

In the ruling, Commander Andy Brittain said Kennett was hands-on in operating his side business. 'This was not simply a volunteering opportunity, this was a full-blown and expanding business supported by incorporation of that business, the granting of a director's loan and employment of staff,' he explained.

'PC Kennett is also noted to have been actively engaged on social media promoting that business,' he added. 'This was a sophisticated operation, and PC Kennett appears heavily involved at all points.'

The Standard reported that Kennett has contested the ruling. He said his actions should only amount to misconduct, but Brittain said Kennett was fully aware of what he was doing.

'All of [the evidence] appears to undermine the submission on his behalf that at relevant points he lacked capacity to understand the significance of the consequences of his actions,' Brittain asserted.

'Running a business, whether for financial gain or not, whilst suspended on full pay, brings policing and the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) in particular into disrepute. Members of the public would not expect serving police officers to act in this way.'

Another Met Officer Fired in Similar Case

After similar proceedings, a Met Police Sergeant was also dismissed without notice on 19 February. Firearms officer Matt Skelt faced gross misconduct charges for operating and promoting a pizza business while on sick leave.

Skelt, who has served the force for 34 years, said he only pursued the venture in preparation for his retirement. He said he originally had permission to operate, but he did not contest the charges.

'My reputation means a lot to me and the thought I would be sacked from the police for gross misconduct is incredibly difficult for me to deal with,' he stated in a BBC report. 'The very last thing I wanted to do was to challenge the authority of the Metropolitan Police.'